Solar Flares
by Memoria Aurion
Summary: When two sisters cast a spell calling for a guy "not of her world" it sets in motion events for things not of their world to happen. Earth finds itself in the middle between two outside dimensions, Aselia and Gaia, and they are the ones to answer for it.
1. Chapter 1

FANFICTION: Solar Flares

Series: Tales of Symphonia / Final Fantasy crossover

Genre: Adventure / Fantasy / Family / Romance

Warnings: AU-SI / Spoilers for both FF *series* and ToS / Rated T at the moment

Summary: When two sisters cast a spell calling for a guy "not of her world" it sets in motion events for things not of their world to happen. Earth finds itself in the middle between two outside dimensions, Aselia and Gaia, and they are the ones to answer for it.

Authoress' Note: I've set this fic to be in an AU for reality, not necessarily for the games. My friend and I as kids were separated from each other, and we lived completely different lives. I set this in an AU where we're the same age that we are now, but we were together the entire time. This is dedicated to her. It combines my favorite game, Tales of Symphonia, with hers, Final Fantasy (mostly FFVIII), as an attempt to carry a mix of the both of us.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or any Final Fantasy. I don't own the sun, either.

PROLOGUE - Spellbinding

Over the course of a few years, a lot of things happened after the marriage of two best friend's parents. Becoming literal sisters when they were just best friends before was something that seemed to just fit in together, like the missing puzzle piece of a 5000 piece jigsaw. Too bad there were more pieces missing than just that one heart piece, since the dog had a habit of munching on the ones he found under the table.

Once such puzzle piece still missing was the fact that they were not only lonely, but more than bored out of their minds.

"What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're ignoring me."

The older sister gave her younger a stare, pushing her dark bangs out of her face. "I can listen and multitask at the same time. I'm sorry if this confounds you." she said plainly, still typing madly on her computer. "So what were you saying?" She asked, pushing up her glasses again.

The younger grunted, then walked up to the desk where the computer sat to turn off the monitor, her long blonde hair framing her delicate figure. "I was talking about guys." she said, irritated.

"Then I have no reason to participate in that kind of conversation, Ash."

"Ran, seriously. How long are you going to ignore the other gender because of one break-up? Guys are starting to call you a robot because of how cold you are to them." Ash crossed her arms as she spoke.

Ran's eyes wandered up to her sister's. "One break-up? That's all it may have seemed like to you. I don't like flying between partners, thank you."

Ash tried to not react to that statement, though somehow it seemed to come across as a direct insult. "So you need to let it go."

"I have let it go, you're the one bringing it up," Ran said, turning her computer monitor back on. "I don't need a boyfriend! No guy can compare to what my imagination cries out for, so I'd rather not bother." She went back to typing. "It's better than being left behind by how many guys, sis?"

"You won't find what you're looking for if you don't go and look for him," Ash said. She shook her head before she stood up and went over to the nearby bookshelf. "Or if you don't call him to you."

Ran shook her head. "No. I told you. I'm not meddling in Wicca anymore."

"Oh come on! Must you be such a stiff? You make me look like such a bad girl when you adhere to all these rules. Seriously, sis, you need to lighten the hell up." Ash took a book off the bookshelf, flipping through the pages. "Here you go, it's a chant to call the one you want. C'mon, you know you want to."

Ran didn't even bother answering her. No meant no.

"You'll never get your tall redhead with eyes you could stare into forever," Ash said a little teasingly. "And if you do it, I'll do it, too. If I find the one for me, then I won't have to bother with man hunting ever again."

Her elder sister stood up, snatched the book out of her hands, and snapped, "If I do this one spell, will you drop the matter entirely?"

"Yes, I will," her blonde younger sister said with a nod.

"Then I'll just call for a man that doesn't exist in this world," Ran declared with an evil smile. "Oh, just you wait."

Ash didn't bother telling Ran about how powerful the spell really was. The old book itself looked like it was written by a crackpot that got too high on drugs before he wrote it, with pages ripped here and there; some of them even half hanging out of the book. The hard leather cover was cracked all over, and the silver rings which held it together were stained and stretched from use over the years. Warnings littered the books pages about asking for too much. Ash thought in her mind that Ran really would lighten up and be a bit more fun loving if she had a partner to help her recover from what happened with her ex-boyfriend, and if being happy meant calling a man from another world, then so be it.

A little while later, Ran came out of her walk-in closet wearing a white blouse and a denim skirt with simple white sandals. Ash came out of the other closet directly facing her sister's in a blue tank top and jeans. They both had a pendant on, which seemed to resonate the closer they came to each other.

"Have you decided on what you'd ask for?" Ash taunted her sister, but Ran didn't seem to be so nonchalant about the whole thing. "Sis?"

"I know what I want from a man," Ran said sternly. "I know exactly what I want, and I'll ask exactly for that. So on the day that I die, I'll have proven you right."

"Oh really?" Ash asked. "Here's the book."

Standing in the center of their bedroom, Ran took the book and asked for a little space. When she opened it, a magic circle appeared on the floor, sending forth all sorts of energies. She flipped through the pages until she found the spell she was looking for. "Spirits that linger on the wind, please find my heart's desire," she read from the book. "Based on the yearnings which leave my soul in ire." The energies from the circle started to flow around her. "A man with hair as red as a rose, with eyes that can see through my soul. The loyalty of a father, the demeanor of a lover. A man who can sing, that knows the ways of swordplay, who can fly. Clad in darker colors, always classy in his speech, this man that I yearn for is beyond my reach." When she completed her spell, the energies shot out the window. Her mysterious pendant glowed more and more frequently until it shattered completely. "Please lead him to me," she breathed out, falling in the center of the circle before it faded.

Ash walked over and helped her up. "You really put your all into that one, didn't you?"

Ran staggered to her bed, plopping down on the pillows. "That'll be the last spell I ever have to cast. I told you. I'm done with Wicca, and I'm done with men. Those are two things that don't hold my interest anymore in the slightest. When I wake up, I'll go about my normal day like nothing happened here."

"Fine, fine," Ash said, shaking her head. "You ask for a man that doesn't exist, and I ask for a man that's dead. We certainly are a pair."

"Going with every man you come across won't fill that void in your heart," Ran said, kicking off her sandals. "That's why I don't understand how you act that way."

"With this, I don't think I'll need to anymore," Ash said, also taking up the book. Her spell was just as specific about certain things. "A man that knows me better than I know myself, who will put up with my selfishness and stupidity and accept them as who I am. Eyes that change color, one that knows cooking, his appearance questionable but one that I find interesting. A man versed in machinery and vehicles, one that knows his way in a fight, a man that looks good in a uniform, I call here tonight." She closed the book and waved her arm as if to command the spirits herself, but didn't say much else. They seemed to understand without much else needing to be said.


	2. Chapter 2

PART ONE - The Tome of Larissa LeLouch

When the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were united again, Kratos had made his decision to leave it all behind him and take what was left of Cruxis with him. Once he said goodbye to his son for the final time, Lloyd, using the powers of the Eternal Sword, sent Kratos up to the nearby comet and…

Kratos looked around. He certainly hadn't landed anywhere in Derris-Kharlan that he could remember. He found himself amid some kind of thin forest. The mana was stranger than anything else he'd ever felt before. Was this the form of Derris-Kharlan once Mithos' hold over it had fallen? No, couldn't be. There were no angels around, either. It seemed to be another world all together.

After walking a bit more, he noticed there were no monsters in this forest, either. He was stopped by a group of spirits before reaching a field outside the line of trees.

"You have come," the spirits said together. "The summoning worked."

"What do you mean by 'summoning'?" Kratos asked.

"A young witch cast a spell calling one that fits your description," was the reply. "You have the qualities that she requested be found. We found you."

"This doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't make much sense to me, either," another young man said from the side. "I was falling through time and space, and I landed here."

The spirits then came together and formed a young woman's figure. "Both of you were going between worlds by the way of magic. It was easier to pull you here that way, than by directly out of your dimensions. The world you are now in is not the same as the one you were called from. You can tell by looking at each other, your cultures are different."

Kratos looked at his new acquaintance who's short wispy brown hair and blue-green eyes seemed a little different than anything he'd seen in Aselia. His clothing was more than strange, with a collar of feathers surrounding his neck, and black material from head to toe. Not that this young man didn't find his attire strange, with a purple spandex-like outfit and a cape. The only thing they really seemed to have in common was owning weaponry. On Kratos' left arm was an ornate shield, and his right hip had a sword hanging. The newcomer had some sort of weapon Kratos had never seen before strapped across his belt. He could tell the technology in that world must have been far more advanced than that of Aselia's.

"The two of you know the ones that called you, though you may not know them now," the spirits explained. "It has been quite a while since the spells were cast. You have gone through significant adventures which may or may not prepare you for what will happen here. There are no monsters, there are no dungeons. The fights here are not physical, they are emotional. Your weapons will not serve any purpose here."

The brown haired young man to the left shook his head. "Is there any way back to the world that I came from?" he asked. "Is this some sort of trial for us to undertake before we can return home?"

"That is up to the ones that cast the spells in the first place. I cannot answer that."

Kratos crossed his arms. "Who called us here?" he asked. "Once we find them, perhaps we can find out more."

"I explained to you all ready that you will know them when you see them," the spirit replied. "But you are not fitting to explore this world in your current gear. I will turn your current clothing into clothing of this world so that you may not cause unwanted attention." She concentrated her powers so that Kratos' armor and cape turned into a classy button up shirt with a purple scarf and Squall's over-done coat became a black hoodie. "It isn't what you're used to, but it will work." She started to vanish. "Seek out the Tome of Larissa LeLouch, and there you will have some answers as to the powers that called you here." With that, she was gone, leaving the two warriors to themselves.

"We won't find anyone just staying here," Kratos said quietly.

"Agreed."

"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Kratos. I am a mercenary."

"My name is Squall, and I'm part of an organization of mercenaries."

"All right then," Kratos said. "Let's go see what we can find."

At that time, in the middle of town, the two sisters were having lunch at a local delicatessen. The sun had reached the top of the sky, and many people were enjoying the spring breeze. Except, of course, Ran, who's allergies made it impossible to do much of anything.

"This really isn't what I had in mind when I said 'go out to lunch'," Ran said, blowing her all ready red nose for the umpteenth time that day. "I meant maybe a sit down place inside would've been more appropriate."

"Oh hush and eat your club," Ash retorted. "The breeze feels nice."

"It carries pollen from about five thousand flowers," Ran said. "Forget how it feels."

It took a few moments for the wind to shift directions, which caught Ash's attention. She looked around, as something didn't feel right. "Do you feel something weird?" she asked aloud, unable to sit still.

"You were the one who said to be quiet and eat," Ran said, doing her best to ignore her senses.

"I haven't felt magic in ages," Ash continued. "Not since we…"

Ran kept eating, her eyes scanning the scenery evenly. The city was bustling, as usual, full of people talking, cars zooming by, the tall buildings casting their shadows much like an ancient Greek sundial. Nothing seemed too unusual, until she noticed in the direction of the nearby park, two curious men walking together as if they were lost. Each bite she took, she stared more and more at them, as if she knew them from somewhere. Once she had devoured her entire sandwich, she stood up, then sneezed loudly.

"You see something," Ash said. "You only get like that when you notice something unusual. You can't hide your powers of clairvoyance from me, and you know it."

"In the direction of the park," Ran replied rashly. "Two strangers. Lost. It's the only thing I can see around here that's even the slightest bit strange. Before this creepy feeling gets out of hand, we should probably go and see what may be wrong. Who knows? They could just be tourists."

Ash found herself laughing. "Tourists don't wear hoodies," she said. "Or collared dress shirts."

"They don't really seem to be of the same social group, so it's very strange that they would be together," Ran said, stretching her legs. "Because I doubt they're gay."

"Why do you say that? And how did you even come to that kind of thing anyway?"

"Too much yaoi manga," she replied. "Just ignore me."

Ash pulled her sister over to their car. "Leave this to me, okay?" she said, opening the driver's door.

"Only if you turn of your horrible music," Ran snapped, climbing in to the passenger's side.

Kratos and Squall had found their way out of the forested recreational area and to a major modern city street. They seemed to be wandering aimlessly, looking at all the buildings that stood overhead. "I've never seen structures so tall," Kratos said. "Not ones that normal people could access."

Squall was less surprised than Kratos. Some of these things he had seen before. Cars weren't strange to him at all, neither were radios or projectors they had seen in store windows as they walked by. He was in the middle of explaining to Kratos what some of these technological items were when Ash pulled her car up to the sidewalk and stuck her head out the window.

"Excuse me, boys," she said as politely as she could, "You seem a little lost."

"Lost?" Squall asked, turning around to find Ash there with a half-smile. "To tell the truth, we are new in town." He looked at her for a few moments, then shook his head. What was this odd feeling? "My friend Kratos and I are looking for something, but we've seemed to become a bit sidetracked."

Ran was flipping through a book when she heard that name. "Kratos. A Greek name, meaning strength." She hadn't bothered looking out the window to talk to either of them, as men didn't hold her interest anymore. "In fact, there was a demi-God named Kratos. He had a sister, Nike, the goddess of victory; and a brother, Zelos. Could you be a reincarnation of a demi-God?"

Kratos blushed. It had been a while since he dealt with another bookish type, and remembering his past encounters, he just wanted to keep his trap shut. When he started to talk, all he could manage was incoherent stuttering, which prompted Ran's quiet laugh.

"You need not stand on ceremony," Ran said. "I was kidding."

"Excuse my rudeness," Kratos said, "I didn't mean to…"

It had also been ages since he was teased by a woman.

Ash just smiled. "Well, we can take you where you need to go, provided you know what you're looking for."

"That would be nice," Squall said. "May I?" he motioned toward the backseat of her car, and she just nodded. "Kratos, we should."

"Agreed," Kratos said, and the two got in through the back seats so that Ash could pull out of where she had parked.

They got to a stoplight a few blocks down the road, when Kratos finally got a good look at the quiet, bookish Ran, who hadn't given either one of the boys a second glance. Based on his previous experiences, he realized she was going to be more absorbed in studying than she was talking to the company around her. He watched her as she was reading, absorbing the contents with her diligent concentration.

Ash finally broke the silence as she asked, "So, where are the two of you off to, anyway?"

"We're looking for a specific book," Squall explained. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Squall."

"Nice to meet you, Squall," Ash said. "I'm Ashley. My friends call me Ash. This bookworm over here is my antisocial older sister, Randi."

Ran just rose her hand, but didn't say anything.

Kratos bowed his head carefully. "I am Kratos," he explained.

"A book?" Ran asked aloud. "Bookstores are close by at the shopping center if you want modern books. Libraries are more toward the inner parts of the city, in the opposite directions. Is it a new book, or old book?"

"If you want books of any kind," Ash said with a big smile. "My sister has a huge library of books of all kinds."

"If we invite them over to look through our library, we'll also need to cook them dinner. And explain them to Mom and Dad." Ran said sharply.

Ash leaned over to Ran and whispered in her ear, "No, I think these are the ones."

Ran shook her head. "Oh no, no, no."

"Why not?"

"Because I told you, I am not even going to bother with that ever again."

"Oh tell me you didn't see the red hair, classy clothes, and hear that voice of his," Ash whispered. "He's the one you asked for."

"Bullshit," Ran said out loud, shocking the guys in back. "I never should have listened to you."

"Well, now you have to deal with it," Ash said. "What's the harm, anyway?"

Ran started to make her very obvious angry retort, when she sneezed and got snot all in her hands. With nothing to wipe them on, she looked at her hands with resentment. Now she couldn't go back to her book and pretend not to care. It was when she started to feel her anger mount at the situation when a hand touched her shoulder. When she turned to look behind her, Kratos took off his purple scarf and started to wipe her hands off. "Hey, you don't have to-"she said, starting to pull away.

"I'm sorry we've caused you an inconvenience," Kratos said quietly, finally speaking directly to her. "I know you were really interested in what you were reading, and you're the type that could never soil a good book, right?"

The sweat that covered Ran's face caused her glasses to droop off the bridge of her nose. "You're right," she agreed. She couldn't see clearly, but he was at just enough distance for her far-sighted eyes to be clear in her vision. For the first time that she could remember, she felt her heart skip a beat. Ran wanted to reach out and hold around him and keep him all to herself.

Ash saw it on her face. She was more than right. Once the longest red light in the history of the city had changed, she put the car in gear and took off for their house out in the country. She was going to have a field day with this once they got home.


	3. Chapter 3

PART TWO - In The Library

The car pulled up in front of a huge house. The only other vehicle on the property was a motorcycle, meaning that no one else was home.

"I wonder if Dad ever finished working on my bike," Ran thought aloud. "I don't like having to listen to your rap music wherever I need to go."

"Oh quit your bitchin' and get an iPod," Ash retorted, turning the car off. "All righty boys, we're here." She pulled herself out of the car and stretched, while Ran walked over to her motorcycle and looked it over. "C'mon, let Dad handle your bike. We've got guests."

Ran just sighed. "You don't get it." She put her hand on the seat and said, "Besides, once this fiasco is over, I'll have to go back to school."

"Little Miss Gamer Princess is going to be a Game Making Queen," Ash called teasingly, only to have her sister throw that book at her head, to which Squall quickly walked in front and caught it.

"If it's not too much trouble, girls, let's simmer down," Squall said, taking the book and putting it inside the car. "It's not a good idea to tease people like that. They take their studies very seriously and expect others to treat it just as seriously."

"She's just my sister," Ash said, dismissing the whole thing.

He turned to face her and shook his head. "I'm serious. People that tend to be as withdrawn as Ran tend to get really worked up about whatever they are doing, and they are very sensitive about it."

She just shrugged. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was so offensive."

"You'll know for the future, and that's what matters." Squall said carefully.

Kratos pulled himself out of the car, looking at it strangely. He'd never been in a vehicle quite like that where he came from, and he found himself quite interested in the workings of the machine when he noticed that Ran had walked back over to the car.

"So, you guys wanna look through the library, do you?" she asked as both Squall and Kratos nodded. "Then come along." She walked up the front steps of the porch, leading the group to follow her. She pulled out a small plush red and white ball with keys on it from her skirt pocket and used it to unlock the door. "Ash, do you have any extra cash on you?"

"Why do you ask?" Ash pondered aloud, stepping into the living room and taking off her shoes.

Ran grumbled when she replied, "I think we'll be too busy to cook tonight. " She also took off her shoes and placed them next to the door, then started heading up the stairs. "So you might want to call for take-out at some point."

"Sound fair enough," Ash replied. "Okay guys. House rules. Shoes stay on that side of the carpet. If you don't like walking around barefoot, then we can loan you some slippers. When you're ready to go, your shoes will always be there. I had to get used to it, but Ran's always been a stiff for that kind of thing."

Squall took his shoes off and put them next to the door, then looked around the big house. The living room had a big screen TV with lots of electronics littered around it. A desktop computer sat on a small desk in a corner facing a huge fluffy couch and two recliners. Between them was a small coffee table with a bundle of mail. By the time Kratos had his shoes off, Squall had noticed a whiteboard on the wall with a chart on it. When he started to look at it, Ash just explained it cleanly.

"This house is big because there's a lot of people who live here. My sister and I are home a lot, but we also have two brothers that are in boarding schools across the country. We don't get to see Jeffery or Ralph very often. Then Mom and Dad also live here, too, but they are usually working somewhere," she explained quietly. "That chart details where everyone should be for that day, that way everyone knows where everyone else is without having to worry."

"You guys are always alone, then," Kratos said, almost as if he was asking it instead of just saying it.

"Pretty much," Ash agreed. "Right now, I've been wanting to spend time with Ran before she goes back to school again. She just got back from a culture study in Japan. She's serious about her game making dreams. Even though she's here now, she's pretty much always working, and she never really stops to have any fun."

Squall nodded. He understood that mindset well enough. "What about you?"

"I was always in my older sister's shadow. Here she was with great grades in school, got a full blown scholarship into the school of her choice, and Daddy's favorite," she muttered. "I wanted to go into creative writing and maybe support her in her dream, but, well, you know, I think she'd just laugh me off. I'm more like Mom, and I don't really know what I want to do with myself."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Squall said, noticing that Ran was waving them to come up stairs. "I think that she's ready." Kratos started up, as he had a few questions for Ran himself, and the first moment that Squall had alone with Ash, he stopped her to ask, "Have you ever discussed your feelings with your sister?"

"She doesn't listen to me," Ash said, looking away.

"I'm sure she does," he said with a slight chuckle, "I know a particular hard-ass just like her. So deep in thought and study that he doesn't know what's right in front of his face, y'know?"

"I didn't take Kratos for that kind of guy," she thought aloud with a giggle.

"It's not Kratos. He's actually more attuned to emotional responses than I am, not that is really saying much," he said with a nod. "I know she listens to you, but it seems to me like she has a wall up. If I had to guess, something hurt her before to make her so introverted."

"What lead you to that idea?"

Squall started up the stairs as he turned back to look at her, "People don't tend to get like that naturally. I think she's still hurting. She acts tough, like she doesn't care, but I know for certain she does." He sighed. To find a female version of himself surprised the hell out of him. "Ran's just trying to keep herself from being hurt anymore. As her sister, you should see that."

For a guy that hadn't known them for more than three hours at most, Squall had Ran pretty pegged once Ash took the time to think about it. They climbed up the stairs to find that Ran was sitting at her laptop computer, typing furiously. Kratos was looking at a bookshelf next to her, stopping every now and then to look down at what she was doing but not able to bring himself to say anything to her.

"Kratos tells me you are looking for a tome of some sort," Ran said as soon as she saw Squall in the room. "Tomes are ancient books in this world." She looked away from her screen when she added, "Not only are they ancient, but they're typically spell books."

"Is that true?" Squall asked, crossing his arms. "Look, Little Miss I-pretend-I-don't-care, I have to ask you something. And I want an honest answer."

Ran went back to her typing. "Shoot," she said flatly.

"Why did you say 'in this world'?"

Ash had to step in between the two once she realized that Squall had figured it out, too. "Look, I can explain," she said. "Really, I can explain everything."

"Oh really?" Squall tensed up, glaring at Kratos. "Do you realize what you pulled me from? Where the two of us are from?"

Kratos just shrugged. "My work on my world was finished. I figured when I landed here that this was a part of atoning for what I had done there." he said calmly. "If I was needed here, then I don't need to go back to a world where I'm not needed."

"I was the leader of an entire regiment of mercenary troops!" Squall shouted. "They can go nowhere without me! The two of you need to send us back to set things right. Why the hell did you call us from other worlds anyway?"

Ash walked up to Squall and looked him dead in the eyes. "Don't take this out on my sister. She didn't want to do it in the first place. I pressured her to do it," she said, her whole body shaking. "I'm guessing the book you're looking for is the 'Tome of Larissa LeLouch,' yes?"

"Yes!"

"We have it," Ran said, pulling it out of a drawer. "And if you want to go home, you'll have to consult the book." She looked at her sister, who jumped in fright from the death glare Ran had on her face. "Look what we've done. Send them home all ready." What hurt wasn't the fact that the spell she cast was useless, but the fact that she really did like Kratos and wanted to get to know him, even though she had no interest in men at all. "This is so stupid."

"But-" Ash said.

"No," Kratos said, carefully putting a hand on Ran's shoulder. "Squall, hear me out for a minute. It's not a good idea to go back to our original worlds."

"Why not?" Squall demanded.

"The girls don't know where the worlds we were pulled from are. So if you want to get more lost than you are all ready, then by all means go ahead," Kratos explained. "Ran, have you ever heard of a world called Aselia?"

"No," she replied. "Is that the world you're from?"

"Yes," Kratos said simply. "Since you've never heard of it, I know that you wouldn't be able to send me back there without any troubles. I'm not versed in magic that well, but you can't attempt a spell to transport someone somewhere if you don't know where they are going." He looked down to Ran, who was obviously hiding tears. The spirits were right when they explained that he would understand. "Listen. I know why you called me here. I can see it in your eyes. You put on a tough act, but you always have a sad, distant look on your face."

Ran shook her head. "No, no, no," she said curtly. "I am tough."

"If you say so," he said. "But if you ever need a pair of arms to run into, that's what they are here for. I mean, you both specifically asked for qualities than only two of us have, am I right?"

"The spirit that met us in the woods said that we had all the things you two asked for when you were summoning," Squall interjected.

"A spirit?" Ash asked. "That is curious. I didn't expect Larissa herself to get involved, though I guess she would since we're using her spell book."

"They told us if we found the 'Tome of Larissa LeLouch' then we would know everything we needed to know," Squall added. "And it looks like we have. A couple of selfish girls were playing with a spell book with forces they could barely control and pulled people away from their home worlds because they were lonely - without having a way to fix it."

"Squall, please don't judge us," Ash said.

Squall just shook his head as he shrugged. "I can't judge someone that did the only thing in their power to try and help their sister warm up to life," he said. "Though I am a bit peeved. My entire life I went through harsh training for my job as a solider of sorts. If I would have known that, maybe I would have taken it a bit more easy. Though, honestly, you should have given it a bit more thought than you did."

Ash sighed with relief. The last thing she wanted was for the guy she called from another world to be upset with her. He had been understanding up until that point, even if he was extremely mad about the whole situation of being pulled from his life back on Gaia. "Sis, I'm gonna call for pizza," she said, walking out the door.

"That's fine," Ran replied softly. "Get one of those cakes, too."

"Good idea!" Ash's call came from the stairs.

Squall found himself unable to stay mad about it anymore. "You know, Ran," he said, catching her attention. "Your sister really cares about you."

"I'm aware of that," she said. "It's just the way she goes about things sometimes."

Kratos then added, "She hurts just as much as you do. I don't know exactly why, but the two of you must have gone through something to require help from another world to get over it."

"Yeah," Ran agreed. "Right before I left for my study in Japan, her boyfriend was in an accident. They were really in love. I thought that when I left, she'd be okay since she'd have him to keep her company. Well, during my flight over there, he died in his hospital bed. Flat out. When I landed, I got her message on my phone. She spent the better part of a year in this house by herself, what with Mom and Dad always coming and going at random. Ash went into a downward spiral. I've only been back about two weeks now, and in a few more, I'm supposed to go back. I'm so close to graduation that I can't quit for her sake, and there's no way we'd be able to manage the both of us on my monthly checks in Japan of all places." Her eyes shifted. "Guy after guy after guy. No one could fill that void in her heart. She's changed since then."

Squall took all that in before turning to walk out the door himself. "I had best go check on her."

Ash put down the cordless phone, as she had finished ordering the three pizzas and a cake from the local delivery service. Now she was going to wait there in the living room until the food was delivered, with her thoughts to keep her company. She plopped onto the big fluffy couch to ponder the current situation.

She pondered on everything that happened since she and her sister had woke up that morning. Both were as friendly to each other as usual, though Ran was doing more of her break homework and Ash was just trying to get her to put her work down for a few minutes at least. They both ate breakfast, feeling as if the day was going to be special somehow. It was strange how Ran would suggest eating lunch out. Normally, she'd just eat a typical ham and cheese sandwich at home without thinking much past her work. It was out there, outside the delicatessen, where she laid eyes on him for the first time. Oh how on Earth was this going to work right?

_It's not a good idea for me to treat him like 'okay, I just summoned you. Now I'm going to hump your brains out',_ Ash thought. _One night stands found at a nightclub must be less awkward than this. At least then both parties know what they're getting out of what's to come._

"_I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice you didn't come back," Squall said from the foot of the stairs. "I came to see if you were all right."_

"_Well, it's best I wait for the food to be delivered. I have no idea how hungry you guys might be," she said, trying not to let her mind sink into the gutter. "I'd rather not get wrapped in something and not hear the doorbell."_

"_I'm sorry if I'm not what you wanted when you cast your summoning spell," Squall said bluntly as he sat down in a chair across from her. "Kratos and your sister seem to all ready understand each other, and here we are, disagreeing at every turn. Maybe your spirits didn't look carefully enough for you."_

"_It's not hard for everyone to disagree with me at every turn," Ash said. "Everyone treats me like a fish out of water. I'm used to it."_

_Squall just looked around the room before he added, "Just because you're used to it doesn't make it right."_

"_You don't have to try to pull one over on me. Really. I just wanted my own little piece of heaven, and for my sister to have one, too. Like I said before, I didn't really want to ruin anyone else's life. Hell, Ran was convinced that the spells wouldn't even work in the first place. She even deliberately asked for things that she knew she'd never get just to prove a point," Ash explained. "If you want me to send you back, I will."_

_He looked up at her with his beautiful blue-green eyes. "You don't need to. I understand why you did it, and I don't blame you. I just think you should have had a bit more foresight. A life as a solider isn't exactly fun all the time, as you can probably guess. I don't know if I can help you as much as you need. I don't know if I am what you need at all. That won't stop me from trying, at least." He reached his hand out to her in a gesture of good will and faith, and she sat there, shaking._

"_You don't have to pretend to be so nice to me," she said._

_He cocked an eyebrow. "Who said I was pretending?"_

"_No one's ever been so patient with me. Ever."_

"_Isn't that why you decided to summon companions from another world?" Squall asked, "Because you needed something this world couldn't give you?"_

_Ash felt herself shake until tears formed in her eyes. "All of you are liars, even the kindest among you," she blurted. "No one sticks around, no matter how nice they start out. In a way, Ran's way of handling it was right."_

"_In a way, she was. It would lead her down a path of cold loneliness until she died, but she wouldn't be hurt by others," he said. "I know this for a fact. I've been there, done that." When he stood up and walked over to her, she started to scoot away. Before she got too far, he wrapped his arms around her and held her still. "I can't help you if you don't let me."_

_Ran glared at the cracked cover of the old raggedy spell book. As she pushed up her glasses, she said, "This is the book that we used to call you guys over here. It's something of a family heirloom on Ash's side. Her mom had it and gave it to her sometime after our parents got married."_

"_Wait, you two are not of the same parents?" Kratos asked._

"_Nope. Dad divorced when I was a little kid, and I don't know the lady who had me at all," Ran said passively. "Not that it matters, since we have a big family now. I don't know exactly why Dad and Mom married, really. I never paid that much attention to care."_

_Kratos just shook his head. "Oh, you care," he said, poking her a little. "You just don't know how to handle it, so you pretend not to."_

"_I always thought they just got married because Ash and I got along so well as kids," Ran said with a slight shrug. "Ralph and Jeffery never really interacted much before. They don't go to the same school now either. Dad started making more money once he started his machine fix-it shop, and then our lives really turned around. We got this big house, I was able to start planning my college studies, and everything seemed to fall into place. We were all living our own lives, and this right here was home base for everyone when they needed to rest. When the shop expanded to a small franchise, things got even better, but we all started to get even more distant." She looked out her window. "Even I did."_

_He tipped his head to one side, then also started to look out the window with her._

"_So now you know our story," Ran said, looking back at her computer._

"_Hardly," Kratos said with a grunt. "You haven't told me anything about why you called someone with my features. Why is it that someone like me, who has come from a world filled with monsters and much less technology than what is found here in this world, has the specifications that you asked for?"_

"_That's a very easy question. I asked for a person I couldn't get here in this world on purpose," she said carefully. "If you'd like to know why, consider this." She turned the monitor of her laptop to face him, where she all of her attention had been going before. "My sister teases me about my dreams of creating video games, but it's true. Before Mom and Dad tied the knot, I practically lived in these." _

_Kratos stared at the screen, full of pixels that reminded him of his home world. Swords, thatched-roof houses, the most advanced transportation being a cart pulled by a horse… "Are you sure you've never been to Aselia?" he asked. "This looks like a recreation of what is found there."_

"_I figured as much," she said, "because what I asked for are qualities found in many heroes from that kind of world. I've dreamt of being in those worlds so long that no man here ever catches my eye. I mean, your name is Kratos. You were either from ancient Greece or an RPG like world."_

"_Talk about fetishes," Kratos murmured to himself._

"_I guess you could call it that," Ran said hesitantly, turning her computer back the way it originally faced. "I thought I could avoid getting close to anyone else if I loved a kind of guy I'd never meet."_

_He sat down across from her, looking at her anime wall scroll infested side of the room, and said, "You surrounded yourself with nonexistent people."_

"_Works better that way," she replied._

"_No, because you forget there are people in the flesh that need you."_

"_What?"_

"_Your sister, for one."_

_Ran gave her new friend a look. "There was a point where she was so happy with her boyfriend, she didn't need me around. That's why I thought it was okay to go on a culture study on the other side of the world."_

"_She always needed you to be there for her, even if she was happy," Kratos stated. "You didn't like the fact that you weren't being given any attention by anyone, so you decided instead of hurting, that you'd cut them off? Completely? Caring for people you can't ever be around when there are people in the flesh that need you?" He stood up to get closer to her, when she noticed that she wasn't even trying to retort anything he had said. "What happened to you to make you like this?"_

_She couldn't really say anything. "I realize you deserve to know, because it's why I called you…"_

"_What are you going to do with me, because I'm in the flesh. I'm real. I exist."_

"_I know you do," Ran said, bowing her head. "I know you're here now. I… I have to change."_


	4. Chapter 4

PART THREE - Dinner and cake

The pizza and cake was delivered in about half an hour, which led Ash to come up the stairs to invite her sister and Kratos down to eat. When she walked through the door, she found Ran in tears. Kratos sat next to her with an arm around her shoulders. They hadn't noticed she was there.

"I feel like it's my fault," Ran said through her hiccups. "Like I could have prevented it."

"There's no way to predict the future, and you know that as well as anyone else," Kratos reminded her quietly. "You couldn't have seen that accident. No one did."

"I mean if I chose to study at home, then I could have at least kept her company," she replied. "She turned out that way because she thought she was alone."

Kratos reached up and ruffled her hair. "I think it's all one big misunderstanding," he said. "You left to study because you were lonely, and it turns out she was lonely the entire time you were gone. Ran, listen to me. If the two of you want to heal, then I suggest you both spend some actual time together. None of this reading while she's talking to you. I know it's hard to focus on someone in the flesh, but I don't think you have much of a choice."

"I don't want her to go back to that when I go back in two weeks," Ran said.

"After all this, you still plan on going back to study?"

"I can't just quit."

Ash then stepped closer, catching their attention. "If you quit your dreams, I'll lose all respect for you," she said with a smile. "I envy your ability to always be so focused. No matter what you do, you always stay right there, in whatever you're doing. It's amazing."

"Even though I ignore you?" Ran asked.

"I don't care. You have dreams to chase and the raw talent for them," Ash declared. "I would want you to forsake that." Her words were genuine. "Now, come on, food's here."

Ran stood up and wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Kratos. It's been a long time since anyone held me for any reason," she said, offering to help him up. "If there's anything you need, I'll do what I can for you. It's the least I can do."

He took her hand, pulling himself up to stand. "Don't worry about me. We should go eat," he said, starting out. When he started to leave, he noticed that Ran was again at her desk. "Hey now, what's this?"

"I got an email. It's from Dad," she said, reading the message on screen. "Looks like he'll be at it another month." She got up, her face filled with disgust. "Not surprised in the least."

"You sound bitter," Kratos murmured.

Ran stomped on past him and Ash just whispered, "I ask you nicely. Don't bring Dad up. Just don't."

"There's plenty things she's hidden from everyone long enough that I've gotten out of her," he said, not trying to brag.

"Don't expect this to come as easily," Ash said, shaking her head. "There aren't many things in this world that actually piss her off by just mentioning them. Try to talk about Dad and you might get your nuts cut off."

"That serious?"

"Yes," she replied, turning around. "Like I said, we've got food. Let's go."

Ran's scowl had faded once she reached the bottom of the stairs. She went to the cabinets to get out plates for everyone while Ash and Kratos descended the stairs.

"I ordered one specifically for my sister because she's picky," Ash said. "The pepperoni and bacon is something not many people would actually eat."

"I'm not picky," Ran stated, carrying the plates over.

"Plates aren't very like you. Typically you just eat out of the box with your hands. Tell me you're not wanting to… be rude, are you?"

"I'm not in the mood, either."

"I'm sure Kratos would change that quickly."

It took one of Ran's signature death glares to finally get Ash to stop with her teasing. When Squall noticed, he said, "Don't change the way you do things just because we're here. We wouldn't want you to go out of your way for us."

"Why wouldn't we?" Ran asked, trying to force a smile. "I mean, it's been ages since we've had guests." She put the plates on the table and sat down, unable to get her father off her mind.

"That's true," Ash nodded in agreement. "Let's eat."

Three pizzas and one cake later, the group was stuffed to the brim. Ran hadn't said much to anyone, except seemingly having to teach Kratos exactly what a pizza was and how to eat it. Once she had and he devoured almost a half of one in a split second, they all seemed to lighten up a bit more.

"It's getting late," Ran said, yawning. "You guys don't have anywhere to stay, do you?"

"You pulled us from other worlds," Squall snipped at her. "What do you expect?"

"We should take responsibility for what we've done," Ash said. "I wasn't going to force you to sleep outside with such a big be… I mean, such a big house here with all this room. We do have a guest room with two beds, if you don't mind sharing a room."

"That will work just fine," Kratos replied. "There's no reason as to why it wouldn't."

Ran got up and collected the dishes. "That's good. Because I'm exhausted."

"No burning the midnight oil tonight?"

"No, I think I'll do better if I actually get some sleep," she said, taking them over to the sink. "You guys can do what you want. I need to go and rest… and Ash, it's your turn this time."

"That's fine with me," Ash said as she shrugged. "No big deal. I think I'll be up there to join you very soon. I can't shake off this yawning fit."

Kratos stood up. "Squall and I will do the dishes then. You two go on and get some rest."

"That's too kind of you," Ash said, shaking her head. "I insist I do them."

Squall walked up to her and pointed up the stairs. "Bed. Now."

Ash couldn't help but think, _What I wouldn't give._

Kratos took the sponge out of Ran's hand directly. His strong but gentle hands pushed her away from the sink and toward the stairs, "No. Go on."

_I'm sure you'd make the greatest plushie to snuggle with, _Ran thought, blushing. _Those hands could do anything they wanted to me, and I wouldn't resist._

When he stopped to look at her face, he said, "Is there anything you'd like to say to me, Ran?"

"Just… thank you," she flashed a smile before going up the stairs. "The guest room is the one right across from ours. You need us, we'll be close by."

Ash nodded. _Just not close enough_, she thought. "I should do the same. Thank you, guys. I'll head up, too."

Both girls went to their room and closed the door, making sure neither of the guys followed them up. They secured the door so they only way anyone could get in is if one let them in from their side before addressing the situation.

"So, who said they don't need men?" Ash pondered aloud. "That look on your face is priceless."

Ran went over to her walk-in closet to change into her pajamas. "Oh hush," she said, pulling off her skirt.

"What would you like to do to the tall, calm, redhead? C'mon, you can tell me," her sister teased. "A little making out, maybe a little going down, maybe little spread the legs?"

"Don't say those things," Ran said, shaking her head. "Now I'll never be able to sleep."

Ash laughed, letting her whole body shake with it. "That's the best line I've heard from you in ages," she added. By the time Ran had pulled on her typical tank top and sweatpants, she said, "Oh, no, that's not impressive night gear. Don't you have anything a bit more-"

"We locked the door, remember?"

"You should put on that little purple nighty of yours. That's pretty sexy, and it shows off your flair in an elegant color," Ash suggested. "You know you want to."

"The last time I did what you suggested, I was landed with a really hot guy that was everything I ever dreamed of," Ran said.

"Have I ever steered you wrong, big sister?"

"That time you told me to put the tin-foil wrapped sandwich in the microwave."

"Okay, since we were ten years old?"

"Renting that romance movie about the vampires," Ran said, wanting to retch.

"That wasn't too bad," Ash said, blowing her off. "My point is that when it counts, I've not been that bad of an advisor. Put on the nighty. You'll thank me later."

"I don't see the point in bothering when we locked the door."

"Just listen to me and put the damn thing on. Please. I'll leave you alone when you do."

Ran grumbled as she walked back into her walk-in closet and pulled a box from the very top part of her shelf. She opened it to find the lilac nighty set, complete with matching boy shorts panties. "Why do I even have this?" she asked herself, begrudgingly pulling off her normal pajamas. "I never bought this thing."

"Gag present, remember? You turned 22," Ash replied. "That year you got a game and that nice looking nighty set. You played the hell out of the game, but that just sat in your closet until now."

Ran put it on, as ordered, feeling so strange in it. She looked at herself in the mirror and said, "This is so not me." When she walked out of the closet, her sister whistled at her.

"That's so innocently cute it's unbearable. Now I know Kratos can't resist if he sees you in that." Ash giggled. "You in such an innocent light purple color, a spring pastel. Oh, yes. It really is you."

The older sister just plopped herself in her covers, wrapping herself in her big blankets, trying to forget she'd even put the stupid nighty on. "You said you'd leave me alone if I put it on," Ran said. "So leave me alone."

Ash just went into her closet, where she had a perfect seductive outfit in black waiting. Once she had changed, she went to the door to unlock it, and put herself to bed.

Four dishes was probably the easiest after dinner cleanup in the history of cleaning anything, so the guys were thinking about the situation before they were going to lay themselves down for the night.

"This world is very different," Kratos started, once he had the dishes dried. "From anything I've ever seen."

"I've noticed. A lot of it looks similar to the world I'm from," Squall explained carefully. "But the food is pretty much the exact same. I mean, what world do you have to be from to not know what meat, cheese, and veggies baked onto a bread crust is?"

"From what Ran told me herself, she wanted someone from a world like mine," Kratos said, a little distant. "She spent so much time imagining other worlds, she wanted someone from a world like that."

"That's one hell of a fetish."

"I thought the exact same thing."

Squall looked around the room, then picked up the empty boxes to put them on top of the trash can. "I'm not sure why I fit the qualities that Ash asked for, but I'm sure we'll find out at some point."

Kratos found himself gazing out the window until he noticed that the sky had become unusually dark on an otherwise clear night. "Something isn't right," he thought to himself. "Do you feel that?"

"No, but I do smell something," Squall said, opening the front door to get a good look outside. He scanned the area. He took a few more steps onto the porch, where he could see it in the distance. Smoke. "Did we pass any other houses on our way here?"

"Not that I remember," Kratos said. "That's…"

"We'd better go get the girls. This isn't going to be pretty."

They rushed through the living room and up the stairs. Kratos knocked on the door. "Excuse me, girls, but there's something we need to talk to you about!" he said loudly. No one answered.

Squall didn't even bother knocking. He opened the door to find them both asleep. "I thought so," he said. "All right, girls, wake up. There's an emergency."

Ran just mumbled, "Dad, piss off" without waking up.

Ash didn't even move.

Kratos walked over to Ran's bed and poked her. He'd been a bodyguard before on his previous world, and it seemed to take over him. "Princess, you need to wake up now. The more time you spend asleep, the less time we have to get you to safety," he said, instantly remembering his knighthood adventures of his youth. "Princess Salina!"

"Salina?" Squall asked.

Kratos shook his head. "Damn it. She was the Princess I protected in my home world. They're both just as stubborn," he answered. When he realized he wasn't going to get her to wake up, he pulled off the covers to see her light purple nighty. He tried to not think about it, but he picked her up. "I don't have much choice," he said. "Forgive me."

Squall could have kicked Ash upside her head and she wouldn't have budged. But when he kneeled down to whisper in her ear, her eyes opened instantly.

"You little devil," she said seductively. "I knew it was the night thing to do."

"Hardly. Get some real clothes on." Squall snapped. "There's a forest fire outside and it's coming this way."

"What?" Ash asked, running to her closet. "What's wrong with Ran?"

"I tried to wake her up," Kratos said, "but she just told her dad to piss off."

Ash just nudged her sister. "Hey, sis. There's a sale down at the local game shop. I hear it's buy one RPG get two free."

Ran jumped out of Kratos' arms and looked around. "Really? We have to go right now!"

Kratos found himself face palming. "One track mind… no, Ran, listen. There's a forest fire outside and it's on it's way here. Pack what you can. We can't save the house."

"Oh hell," Ran said, heading to her desk.

Squall sat in the driver's seat of Ash's car with it running, while the other three carried bags from the house to put in the trunk. The fire had gotten very close, so he had to move the car once. "Come ON!" he shouted. "You can't take everything!"

Ran looked back at the massive collection of games she'd managed to amass during her life, unable to take the entire glory case with her. "Some of these things I'll never find again. One of these games is worth a thousand dollars on it's own," she said, her eyes tearing up. "I can take my handheld collection with me, but… this hurts." She reached into the cabinet and grabbed a few choice titles. "I'll miss all of you."

"Besides," Ash said behind her, "You'll make better games than those anyway."

Kratos just snatched her up and away from the case before she drove him nuts. "I know you love your games, but you could die."

"What is life without my games?"

The three of them made their way out of the house, to see the fire had all ready gotten their father's small workshop in the back. If it reached Ran's bike, the explosion would induce injuries, if not be fatal.

When Ash climbed into the passenger side front seat of her car, she glared at Squall. "Once we're no longer in a dangerous situation, I'm taking my driver's seat, thanks," she said.

Kratos slid into the backseat with Ran in his arms, then put her down in the seat. She put what she was carrying onto the floorboard for now, and the two buckled themselves in. "Go," Kratos said. "Get the hell out of here."

Squall threw the car into reverse, turning it as quickly as he could manage. Once he shifted it into drive, he hammered the gas, leaving the fire to finally reach Ran's favorite motorcycle behind them. It exploded loudly, and when Ran looked back she saw half of their house on fire. "We got what was important, but…" she said sadly.

"What's your plan for emergencies like this?" Squall asked Ash.

"We need to get somewhere with a phone. We'll call Dad or Mom," she said quietly. "Luckily, Ralph and Jeffery will be in school for a while, so they won't need to come home this split second."

"I grabbed all the cash that was there, as well as our bank cards and ID," Ran added. "We won't starve or not have an option for a place to sleep. For the night, we can go to a hotel to contact one of them."

"Yeah," Ash agreed.

They drove back into the city where they all had met, looking for a place to stay the night. When they found the only hotel with a vacancy sign, Squall pulled in and Ash went to talk to the attendant. "Two rooms, please," she asked, flashing a credit card. "Preferably with two beds apiece."

"We only have one room," the attendant said. "You can take it or leave it."

"I don't have much of a choice," Ash shrugged. "I'll take it."

"It's very full because of the forest fires. All the now homeless people have fled to the hotels in the inner city, so things have become desperate for a lot of people," the attendant explained. "This drought has been very bad this year. Fires have sparked out of nowhere."

"I'll have to do a rain dance," Ash laughed. "Thanks."

The attendant handed her a key. "It's on the other side of the building. You're lucky it's on the bottom floor. Of course. Best wishes to you and your family."

"Oh, thank you."

Ash came out of the office and went back to the car. "They didn't even have two rooms open. Everyone's got the same idea we do. I had to get the only room they had."

"Then we'll take what we can get," Squall said. "Like staying at an inn."

"I hear you there," Kratos said with a nod. "I remember that too well."

Ran had curled up in her seat before they even arrived there, clutching a plush toy of a red striped dog in her sleep. Kratos started to pull her in, but Ash just shook her head at him. "Let her be for the moment. She doesn't typically let herself drop her defenses so quickly. She has a lot on her mind, obviously. Fluffy is very special to her. She only gets like that when something bothers her."

"Fluffy?" Kratos asked.

"I think it's from her real mom," Ash said. "Let's pull this car around and unload. I'm ready to pass out from everything that's happened lately."

Squall drove the car to the other side of the hotel, and they spotted the number easily. Once they had it, they found a place to park, and did their best to unload the most important things they had into the room. Kratos managed to wake Ran for her to barely walk on her own, where she let herself plop on a bed and return to sleeping. Which led to the next problem. There were only two beds.

_Now isn't this awkward, _Ash thought. "How do you want to do this?"

"I will stand guard," Kratos said, sitting down in a chair so that he could watch the door.

"It's not like we're in mortal danger or anything," Ash said, "You don't need to be so defensive."

"…some habits are hard to break," Kratos said with a smile. "I was a bodyguard, if you remember."

Squall dug out some blankets from the bags. "I'll sleep on the floor. Take the other bed."

_You're more than welcome to share my bed, _she thought, sitting on the empty bed. Then she picked up the phone, got out her wallet, and started dialing numbers. "Mom? Mom! Is that you?"

"Of course it is," her mother said sourly, "Who else would accept your call at two in the morning?"

"Mom, the house is gone. It totally burned down," Ash said into the phone.

"Where are you now?"

"A hotel in town. I got the last room available. There are forest fires everywhere and lots of people are homeless," Ash explained. "We got all the papers and stuff from your room."

"Good, good. How is your sister?"

"She passed out. She's got Fluffy."

"She must have got Dad's message."

"Yeah, she wasn't very happy about it, either."

Her mother cleared her throat before saying, "Dad's… not going to have anything else to do with us. He didn't give a reason, he left everything to us, he just… he's not coming back."

"No," Ash said, "That's… but what about…"

"Don't worry about him, Ashley. As long as the two of you are all right, that's what matters. Ralph and Jeffery will probably stay at school during the break coming up," her mother said kindly. "I know this hit Randi pretty hard, but we're here for her."

"You damn right!"

"Now, do you guys have a place to stay other than the hotel?"

"Not yet."

"It might be time for the two of you to go out on your own, now that I think about it."

Ash grunted as she said, "The only money Ran gets is for her scholarship for school. I don't have anything. I don't think we could strike out on our own yet."

"I'll give you some to help you get started. Take what you've got and get a small place for now. You two will be fine," her mother said. "Is there anything else before I go back to bed?"

"Ran has herself a boyfriend."

Kratos turned beet red as he heard that, and eventually he went to normal as he drifted to sleep while sitting in the chair. _I guess that would be about right, _he thought, _even though it hasn't really been said._


	5. Chapter 5

PART FOUR - A New Start

The next morning, Ran bought a big box of donuts from a bakery across the street while Ash watched the morning news. Squall was sprawled out all over the floor with his belt unhooked and jeans undone as he stayed sleeping, and Kratos wasn't very coherent even if he was awake in his chair. The hotel room wouldn't last very long, and for their health and sanity, they were going to have to find something a bit bigger and more permanent than that.

Ran came in the room, munching on a chocolate glaze donut. "Morning' all," she said, sitting down on the bed she slept in. "Donuts for breakfast."

"You're the only morning person I know," Ash grumbled. "I have no idea how you keep up that act."

"I've all ready eaten three donuts," Ran replied with a smile. "I'm on such a sugar buzz I feel like my head could explode."

Kratos blinked a few times. "I don't take sweets very well," he said. "That cake from last night stayed with me all night and made it hard to sleep."

"Yeah, we real people would like to eat a real breakfast," Ash said.

"Then go eat your waffles and eggs, I'll just stick with this," Ran kept munching until Kratos took the box away from her. "Hey."

"I don't want you sick," Kratos said, putting the donuts in a bag. "So you can have some later. Right now, I think some meat would do you better."

Ash laughed. "I'm sorry, but that statement… Kratos, you're hilarious."

"How so?"

"It's even more funny that you don't realize how funny it is," she laughed again.

Ran threw a pillow at her sister. "You're just a perv!"

"Don't tell me you weren't thinking it," Ash said, throwing it back.

"I was not, you nymphomaniac," Ran threw the pillow hard, but instead of it hitting Ash, it went past her and knocked Squall square in the head. "Oh crap. I'm sorry, Squall."

"…too bright…" Squall said, muffled by the pillow.

Kratos just shook his head in bewilderment. "Now that we're all awake, let's discuss the plan of attack, shall we?"

"Plan of attack?" Ran asked. "We're not an army regiment."

Ash looked to her sister. "Mom suggests we get our own place. Told her you had a boyfriend. She says she knew you'd finally come around."

"I'm going to kill you," Ran stated. "I haven't yet done so because I have to decide what method would be the most fun to put you through. But just you wait until I've decided."

Kratos just sat down next to her. "Calm down. You guys need a place to live, and your mother might be relived a bit if the two of you had someone to keep you company and watch out for you," he said. "Besides, I don't mind being yours."

Ran couldn't help but blush. "I haven't known you more than a day." She turned away from him while shaking her head. "I couldn't dare fall in love with you so fast. It defies all logic."

"Stop lying to yourself," Ash said bluntly. "You're beside yourself with adoration. I know. Any normal man that took your donuts would be in bloody mess by now."

Squall sat himself up and clicked his neck into place. "So, first order of business would be food. Second would be finding a place to live. Third," he yawned again, "would be a shower."

"Oh no," Ash disagreed. "First is a shower. Go get one."

He pulled up off the floor, straightened his back, and walked to the bathroom. "I just realized something," he said before going in. "Kratos, you and I only really have one set of clothes. The spirit changed the clothes we wore in our home worlds into what we have now."

Ash just looked through her purse and pulled out a credit card. "You want to know what the best thing about this is?"

"What?" Ran asked, just to humor her sister.

"This thing has Dad's name on it."

Ran pursed her lips. "That's despicable," she said.

"What he pulled," Ash corrected her, "What he pulled, that shit is despicable. He should have checked to see what he was leaving behind before he left. This is his own fault. So don't worry about a thing, you two. We have two sets of clothes ourselves. We're going to have to get some supplies once we're settled in to our new place."

Squall went into the bathroom anyway. "Won't take me long," he said, shutting the door.

"Do you know of where you would go to apply for a place to stay?" Kratos asked the girls.

"There are a lot of different places to apply," Ran said. "We could even do it online." She took to her computer after getting it out of one of the many bags, and hooked to the hotel's wireless internet. "I mean, what do we want?"

"Something affordable," Ash muttered.

"There's four of us, so it would be best to look for four rooms, right?" Ran asked.

Both Kratos and Ash gave Ran a glare as if to ask, _You're joking._

"Fine. Two rooms it is," she replied, filling in an online application. "Non smokers, we don't have pets… oh ho! There's a small house in a subdivision about ten miles from here that's empty. I'll have the realtors set up an appointment for today… We need to be there in about three hours. Let's all shower and dress as best we can. I don't really care what it costs. If it's okay looking, then I'll just take it."

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "Sounds good to me."

Once everyone had a shower and was dressed decently enough, they packed up everything into the car, and stopped by the office of the hotel to turn in their key. After that, they went out for breakfast at a casual sit down eatery to wait until their appointment.

"I am famished," Squall said honestly as they had sat down to a booth. "I don't know about you guys."

"It has been a while," Kratos agreed.

Ran was in the middle of reading, as per the usual, until Kratos almost closed the book on her nose. "What?"

"Are you sure this is the best time to be reading?"

"But I…"

"Remember what I told you?"

Ran nodded, closed the book, and put it away. "I'm sorry. It's just that I don't know how to handle downtime. It drives me insane," she said. "I go crazy without distractions."

Ash was more than amazed. "Okay, that's point two that Ran is head over heels in love with you. You told her to put a book away, and she did it. She didn't even hit you or anything. Sister dear, kiss him all ready, you'll feel better that way."

Squall shrugged. "We came here to eat, not to squabble."

A waitress came up to them with menus. "Hi there. What can I do for you this morning?"

"Food's good," Kratos answered with a shrug.

"Oh, we have a smartass in the audience," the waitress said, slapping down the menus. "Anything in particular you might want, smartass?"

Kratos pushed his red hair back, revealing how handsome he was. "I don't really care, as long as it won't make me sick," he replied. "I'm so used to cooking for myself that I haven't eaten out in years."

The waitress blushed, obviously affected by seeing his face. "You cook for yourself?" she asked, very impressed. "And, if you don't mind me saying so, you're…"

"I've done a lot of traveling, so I don't have time to stop by an eatery," he continued.

"Oh, wow!" The waitress seemed to be creaming her pants when Ran's growl finally became audible. "What's her problem?"

Kratos just wrapped his arm around Ran's shoulders. "Calm down, dear," he said soundly, "The lady's just so lonely she'd hit on taken men."

"I see," the waitress said, "Drinks?"

"Water," Ran replied.

"Coffee's fine," Kratos answered.

"I'll take some orange juice," Squall said with a shrug.

"Milk," Ash said, "Chocolate milk."

The waitress wrote it all down and took off.

"I didn't realize you were so defensive about a guy you didn't care about," Ash said, cutting her sister a glare. "Strike three, sister dear, you are out."

Ran didn't even bother arguing about it at this point. "So what?"

"So what? What do you mean, so what?"

"So what if I'm in love with Kratos, it's not like it really matters or anything," she blurted, looking away. "I hope they have peanut butter here, because if they don't, I'm going back there to kick the chef's ass. I am not eating plain ass French toast."

Squall laughed to himself. "Change of subject to save you having to discuss anything important, I notice," he said. "Look at you. Redder than a tomato and actually smiling. Kratos, you've known her less than twenty four hours and you've all ready broken down her walls, changed her antisocial tactics, and managed to get her to want you. Damn. What hold do you have over women?"

"I'm not sure. I had a similar effect back home," Kratos said. "But if you look at that expression on Ash's face, I think you've got a similar situation, if you'd actually take the time to notice those kinds of things."

"Are you calling me oblivious?"

"No. I'm saying you don't read emotions very well, that's all."

"This is going to be a very long day," Ash said, stretching her arms upward. "I don't want to apply for a new place to live or go buy supplies. Both are very boring chores, and with so much time left between now and when Ran has to go back to school, I want to use the time to have as much fun as possible."

"I don't blame you, but we need to be careful and take things one step at a time when it comes to rebuilding our lives," Squall replied. "I'm not trying to stop you from enjoying yourself, but at the same time, there are serious things which need to be taken care of."

"I know. You're right," Ash said very quietly. "There's just so much going on in my head right now, it's hard to want to focus on just doing one thing."

"There might be something we can do," Ran piped up, having out her book again. "Didn't we have any property no one was using somewhere out here?"

Kratos closed the book. "What did I just tell you?"

"No, I'm looking something up," Ran snatched the book back. "Well?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, way out in the middle of nowhere."

"Okay then. We'll go out there. I have an idea."

"…an idea from Ran either means she wants to make a game, or something scary is about to happen," Ash said, trembling. "When she says 'I have an idea', it usually means run for cover."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

Getting out to the property that Ran asked about took about a three hour drive out to the middle of a forest. It was easy to see why no one built anything here. Trees were gnarled in together, making room sized tumbleweed bushes that couldn't be uprooted. The soil was poor and held nothing but weeds. Not even grass could grow. Upon further inspection, there was a pond further into the forest that had been polluted by something years ago and had become fishless. It was nothing short of desolate and unlivable.

"You made me drive all the way out here for this?" Ash asked. "I ought to choke you."

"This land is in very poor condition, yes," Ran replied. "But that makes it great grounds for magic."

"I thought you were the one swearing off Wicca?"

"Excuse me, but when I got the man of my dreams via magic, why not my house? Why not the property we want without having to pay for it and change the plans we have all ready established?" Ran asked. "If you're going to go the lazy route, you should go all the way."

"I can't condone the lazy route," Kratos said. "You should go the safer way, even if it will take longer. We can manage in a small apartment with the four of us. I know it'll take some getting used to, but we can handle whatever comes our way."

"It'll be our secret," Ran said. "We won't tell anyone."

Ash crossed her arms. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind. Out here? I'm sure you know there's tons of bugs and snakes and-"

"If you don't want to, we can spend another three whole hours in the car arguing about what radio station to listen to while we go back to the city," Ran said, putting her hands on her hips.

Squall walked between the two sisters as he said, "It would probably take a lot off of your mother's mind if you took your family's property and made something with it instead of renting some other place. There are good and bad things about doing the entire thing by magic. It would probably be easier if you used what was here and transformed it, like basic alchemy."

"Alchemy was not Larissa LeLouche's forte," Ash said. "Her magic was all about things a bit too damn good for you and most of the time unreachable."

"Larissa was not an alchemist. You are right," Ran agreed. "But her younger brother, Loire, was." She pulled out another cracked book, but this one wasn't as pretty as the other one. "This is his book… and Ash, you're right about me quitting Wicca. I didn't say anything about quitting Alchemy." She opened the book and walked to the gigantic tumbleweed bush. She placed her left hand on it. "Bend to my will and transform!"

The energies around the gigantic tree electrified as it started to move. More trees from around the area started to merge with the gnarled formation in the center, slowly becoming bigger and bigger. Eventually, it took the size of the house they had before, and when Ran lifted her hand from it, the building had been built.

"There!"

Ash just pushed her over. "Oh come on!" she said, "It lacks a bit of… style." She put her hand to it, and it began to have more details, squares for windows to be put in later, a porch, and other things. When she stopped, it looked more like a house instead of just a plain wooden building. "Now it actually looks like a house."

Squall examined the area further. He couldn't shake the feeling that using techniques found in another LeLouche book would lead them into further trouble. Kratos flagged him over to help carry things inside as the girls went in to inspect it and make sure what they had done was actually livable.

"The LeLouche family were into lots of supernatural things," Squall thought aloud. "Larissa could tap into other worlds, and Loire could transform any matter he wanted to. What kind of family were they?"

"My guess is that they aren't from Earth," Kratos reasoned. "Larissa and Loire, I mean."

Squall gave Kratos another look. "That would not surprise me in the least," he said with a sigh. "I hope they can also do something about the terrible land here, too. Just because your house is nice doesn't mean it's the perfect living situation."

"I might be able to help with that."

"What?"

"I don't know if the magic I learned in Aselia will work here," Kratos said, walking up the porch stairs. "But if it does, then I know exactly how to help with that."

"I never thought of using magic I'd learned back home," Squall replied.

They pushed the door open and walked into find the house fully furnished, almost to the way it was back when they were at the old house.

"This is amazing," Ran said. "Now tell me you want to work for a living."

"Ha, that's a good one!"

When the girls noticed that both Squall and Kratos had brought in the last of the bags, Ran addressed them simply. "Welcome to our new home. There are four bedrooms so that we all might have our own space for whatever reasons we may need. I couldn't poof food out of nowhere, nor internet, so that we'll have to just take as it comes."

"Being able to tap into a magic book from such a powerful family is indeed a gift," Kratos said, putting the bag on the floor. "If you'll excuse me, though, I want to inspect the land myself. I want to see what I can do to purify it."

"I'll come with you," Ran said, putting her hand on his arm.

"I'd be honored."

"Kratos pointed out something very interesting," Squall said once Ash had stopped gawking at all the pretty stuff they'd created earlier. "And I have to say that I agree with him on this."

"What's that?" Ash asked in response.

"The two books you have from the LeLouche family contain techniques that aren't of this world. Ran called it Earth once."

"That's right. This is Earth."

Squall sat back and drew in a deep breath. "Those books are from other worlds. There's no other way to explain it," he said. "Alchemy is not from my world at all. I'd never have seen it if I never came here. That summoning spell the two of you used so flawlessly is also something that I've never seen before. Not that I was ever a magic authority."

"Then there are others that have cross worlds before, too?"

"Either that, or those books were so forbidden that they cast them out of the world they are from to prevent misuse."

Ash gasped. "Then why would my mom have had it?"

"I don't really know. Honestly there's too many questions, and before we get to the point where we need answers, you might want to stop using their spell books. It's for your own safety that I ask this," he said, his tone getting darker. "There are some things not meant to be seen by all layers of reality."

"Squall," Ash said, scooting closer. "I won't use the books ever again under one condition."

He bent down. "What's that?"

"As long as you both stay with us," she said, fighting off tears. "I can work every day of my life until my bones give out, but don't you ever leave."

Squall just reached out and hugged her close. "Even if I wanted to, I don't know enough about the spell books to escape this world. And I have nothing else on Earth for me. So don't worry about it."

"I'd burn them both to keep you both here if I had to."

"It might be safe to burn them anyway."

Unable to keep herself from it any more, Ash pulled his face to hers. "Don't you dare lie to me. Having fallen in love with you is either the best thing I've ever done or the absolute worst thing I've ever done," she said, finally giving him a kiss. His arms circled around her, and pulled her in closer. "I can't live without you," she said when she came up to draw a breath. "I'll do anything to keep you to myself."

Ran and Kratos had been walking through the horrible smelling brush for a while, until they found themselves at the dark pond, where the water had been polluted so badly nothing could live in it.

"This water is icky," Ran said, putting her hand in the water. "How did this even happen? There's no factories or much man made pollution around here."

Kratos touched it, too. "This place seems like it's not polluted with trash, but with emotion," he said. "Like nature itself is troubled by hate."

"There are places like that?" she asked.

"Yes, but I don't know how responsive nature is to humanity here on Earth," Kratos said, looking up at the trees again. "But I've been to a forest that will look how you feel in your heart. To some it is peaceful and clean, and to others, it is the darkest place in existence."

"An empathy forest."

"Exactly."

"How would we know if this is just normal Earth pollution, or if it's reflecting the pollution in our hearts?" Ran asked, walking away from the water and drying her hand on her skirt.

"You and I both see the same forest right now," Kratos replied. "I'm certain that if it were an empathy forest, then you'd see something different than I would."

"That's true, because every heart is different."

"I don't know. I met a couple once that were so in sync with each other's emotions that they saw the exact same forest. I'd never seen such a young couple in so in love before. It was special."

"I can imagine it was," she said with a smile. "Would it be too nosey of me to ask if you were a part of that couple?"

Kratos shook his head. "No. I was just an observer. I watched as my son was so devoted to his love."

"…your son?" Ran asked, taking a step back. "You're… you're married, aren't you?"

"I was," he answered. "She died."

She wanted to punch him so hard. "You've been playing me."

"Hardly," he said. "I was leaving Aselia because my son had just married and my job was complete in that world. Your spirits found me as I was transferring to Derris-Kharlan. Another world. My wife died at my own hand over thirteen Aselian years ago. Coming here wasn't a part of the equation originally, but I am here now."

"You killed your own wife."

He nodded. "There was no other way to save her from what had happened. I couldn't bear to see her suffer."

Ran bowed her head. "You must think I'm so immature."

"A late bloomer is more like it," Kratos said sweetly. "But besides that, you called me from Aselia because you need someone like me, right?"

She thought about it. _The demeanor of a father, the loyalty of a lover. "Holy hell. I did ask for you." she managed to breathe out. "That's why I'm so in love with you."_

_He walked closer and embraced her. "Then don't hide it," he whispered in her ear. "You don't have to hide the fact that you have a heart. Let me see who you really are."_

_Ran gripped around him as hard as she could. "I want to give you my entire being," she cried. "I don't know what I'd do if you were to ever leave."_

"_Where would I go?"_

"_To someone more stable and understanding than me. To someone who has more worldly experience than I do. One who's better in bed than me." _

"_After you went to the trouble to call me for yourself, you'd actually let me go?" he asked. "That's not very good. Have more confidence in yourself. Besides, if bedtime experiences mean that much to you, I'm sure you can learn."_

"…_wow, that was blunt."_

"_I was just addressing what you said before," he said with a smile. "Seriously, Ran, stop being such a self-defeatist. It just isn't very endearing." _

_Ran reached up to his fluffy red hair. "I want to give you something," she whispered. "Close your eyes."_

"_All right." Kratos closed his eyes to await his surprise._

_She pulled his lips to hers, finally letting herself show the affection she held back for him for what felt like forever._


	6. Chapter 6

PART FIVE - A Week Later

Getting Kratos and Squall used to life on Earth with the two sisters didn't really take that long. They were more than happy even when doing things they didn't like to do, such as cleaning and fixing up the house. It took them about a week to finish everything to how they wanted it, and by the end, everyone was happy about finishing the entire project. Ran set up the living room to be a full blown entertainment center with that mass of electronic knowledge she learned over the course of her youth. Ash put the finishing touches on almost everything from the bathrooms to the kitchen to decorate them. Squall and Kratos built a patio and gazebo out in the backyard, always finding Ran's homemade sweets and Ash's perfected meals ready when they were done for the day.

"Hey," Ash complained from the living room, "The DVD player is jammed. Sis, I need your electronic powers."

Ran blew her off. "You broke it again?"

"I bought it used. It's not my fault it's ancient," she said. "If I fiddle with it, it'll make it worse. So, dear sister, please. Unless you want me to use the PS2 instead."

The screwdriver flew out of Ran's pocket faster than anyone could blink. "You break this thing again and I'll have to put a few screws in your head to keep your brain intact," she muttered, opening the top of the DVD player. "This piece of shit isn't really worth fixing, and to watch this?"

"I like romance movies," Ash stated flatly. "Just as much as you like movies about heroes with swords."

"Eh," Ran handed her the DVD and checked the gears of the tray. "All right. How the hell did this long blonde hair get stuck in here to jam the gears?"

"The same way this short curly black hair got into the CD player."

"It's that season again," Ran said. "I always shed in the summer time."

"I hear that," Ash said with a nod. "My bed's so full of hair I might as well be sleeping on a wig."

"I bet it's got some short shiny brown hair in there, too."

"Like your pillows aren't stuffed with fluffy red hair."

They both giggled. Life had changed so much since they came.

"What are you giggling about over there?" Squall asked, walking into the living room. After being in the sun so much lately, he had developed quite a tan.

"Oh nothing you should worry about," Ash said with a wink. "Girl stuff."

Ran handed her the DVD player. "There, it's fixed now. Now, I haven't worked on my homework since we started renovating this damn house. I'm really behind. Let me finish it, and then we can talk about what to do with the last week of my break, okay?"

"Fine," Ash said. "So snap to it."

Her sister made a slight bow, then darted down the hallway toward her room. She sat down at her desk, cracked open her coding book, and lost herself in the hexadecimal equations. "So, that's how this works," she mumbled to herself, getting up while reading, and laying down on her bed. She propped herself up with pillows, then continued to read.

Kratos came to her open door, sticking his head in. "You okay?"

Ran didn't even hear him.

"Ran?"

She turned a page. "Homework. Busy."

He just shrugged. "Fine, then. What you want for dinner?"

"Food," she said.

"Cook for yourself, then," he said, leaving.

"I will," Ran called at him.

Kratos just grumbled, untying the apron he had on his waist and hanging it in the kitchen . "When she gets like that, there's not much I can do," he said to himself, not realizing that Ash was still at the table.

"She said she wanted to finish her homework." Ash replied. "So let her. Ran's been good the last week, so let her indulge. She's the only person I know that could probably OD on reading."

"She's serious about her dream. She won't let anything stop her."

"That's what I like about Ran so much," Ash said with a smile. "She's just that determined."

"It is very admirable," Kratos agreed.

"HOLY HELL!"

Kratos found himself sprinting back to Ran's room, where she sat at her desk. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I've been denied entry for next quarter," Ran said, throwing her book at the wall. "This is my last one! They can't tell me that right before I get my degree in game design that I'm being rejected!" She wasn't sure if she was going to break down and cry or tear the entire room apart. "Another one. I all ready had to make an entire change of heart once."

"Don't take this to heart," Kratos said. "I'm sure if you work something out, you'll be fine."

"I can't do this," she said. "I won't have the credibility to work anywhere without a degree, and those credits are just for that particular school. It's Japan's finest. That degree is what every aspiring game maker wants to get their hands on. You can pretty much get into any company with that. Four years. Four fucking years. I had to learn Japanese just to convince them I was worth taking into their school in the first place." Ran clenched her fists, ready to smash her computer. "I worked too hard to-"

Kratos grabbed her arm. "Calm down," he said gently. "The things the way they are now, you don't really have to work at all. You don't need to go out of your way to get employment."

Ran shook her head. "You think I was going to school for all of that to just get a job? When I could have just got any other job? This isn't about money. It's about what I love to do. It's about being true to myself."

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over this," he said. "You should come and eat, get your mind off of it, and then approach it when you're a bit more level headed and less emotional."

"I know. You're right, but I can't just drop it," she muttered.

"I wouldn't ask you to drop it completely. That's not my intention."

They walked back to the kitchen together to see that Squall had finished his project, which was fixing Ash's car. When Ran walked past him, Squall reached out and ruffled her hair. "Hey, is something wrong with the Electronics Princess?" he asked.

"Nothing I won't get over eventually," she replied.

"That's not what I asked," Squall said. "We're all in this together, and I'll be damned if I let you walk by me with such a sad face. Kratos, what did you do?"

"Actually, it was Kratos that calmed me down," Ran answered, sitting at the table. "I've been denied next quarter."

"Really?" Ash asked in shock. "That's surprising."

"Yeah, I know," Ran grunted. "So close to graduating. That degree was practically on my wall all ready."

"Who denied you? I'll go beat the crap out of him and make him let you back in!" Ash said, making a fist.

"I don't know how it happened, and right now, I'd like you to just drop it. I'll look into the matter once I've calmed down enough to think clearly about it," Ran said. "Right now, we need to think about the most important thing, and that is what else needs to be done with the house?"

"We've done everything," Kratos said from the kitchen. "House is finished, backyard is finished. What more do we need, honestly?"

"I ask because now that it's finished, it's become rather boring," she laughed.

Kratos just shrugged. "Now we live in it, you crazy."

"Some things never change," Ash said.

"You're crazy, too," Squall said behind her.

"Well, what more is there? We have a nice life, we have a nice house, we've got two perfectly willing significant others. It sounds like the perfect happily ever after ending from a fairy tale," Ran said. "I mean, this sounds like the ending of an RPG once the big bad has been defeated. The party gets a normal life and the credits roll. Then in the epilogue, you'll get a few odds and ends quests just to get them adventuring again, but the story never changes much. They say life's a journey, not a destination."

Kratos came out of the kitchen with his apron on, holding a spatula. "It's not over," he said. "There's more adventures to be had."

"But none that will significantly change the story," Ran said again. "Once you have your happy ending, what else is there? Life isn't so easy that you can just start a new game and do it all again."

"Are you unhappy about something?" Squall asked, crossing his arms. "Other than the whole school rejecting thing."

"No, there's nothing to be unhappy about, really," she looked away. "I'm going to go hook up the Playstation again."

"No, we're gonna watch a movie," Ash said. "That's why I asked you to fix the DVD player earlier. You remember."

Ran pushed up her glasses. "Fine then. It's not like I care," she scoffed as Kratos came out with a big bowl of fried rice to put in front of her. "Hey, beef fried rice! You remembered."

"Of course I remembered," Kratos said. "Everyone can help themselves. I made rice."

Ash jumped up at the call. "Homemade Chinese food? Count me in!" She served herself a bowl, then sat down next to her sister. "I can work with that."

"As to what you were saying before," Squall said, also taking a bowl's worth, "Life never runs out of things to do. Just think about it this way. What if you ever have kids?"

"Oh no," Ran said, defiant. "You have to have sex before can you have kids."

Her sister gave her an evil eye. "What do you mean by that?"

Kratos just slowly scooted back into the kitchen to avoid the entire situation.

"Exactly what I said," Ran almost yelled.

Ash grunted. "Kratos," she called into the kitchen, "Is there a problem?"

"No, no," he said, "I have dishes to wash. That's all. All the prep work for Chinese cooking, you know, it has to be washed fast or all the plates will be stained with oil."

"Is my sister not good enough for you or something?" she asked.

"What are you talking about, Ash? I adore your sister very much," Kratos replied carefully.

Ash wanted to burst. "Then what's this about you two not-"

"Don't scold Kratos," Ran commanded. "It's not his fault. It's mine."

"Yours?" Ash asked in shock. "No, you can't tell me you have the man of your dreams at your beck and call and you haven't. You've even slept in the same bed a few nights. I know how much you've told me you love him."

Ran blushed as she said, "Yes, I do love Kratos. That's why I haven't wanted to soil it."

"This is about HIM, isn't it?" Ash grumbled.

"If I must have an excuse, then yes, it is about him," she said, finishing her bowl of rice. "I haven't had the drive since."

"If I knew where he was, I'd gut him alive!"

"But you don't, so drop it."

Squall put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Let it be," he said quietly. "What they do in the bedroom, or what they don't do as it were, whatever. That's their business. Ran has her wounds, and Kratos isn't super-human, either. I'm sure that they'll heal each other over time. It's not something you can do anything about."

"For being so young, you speak very wisely," Kratos said, stepping back in.

"Oh be quiet, you old fart."

"Kratos isn't old," Ran retorted instantly. "Are you?"

"I'm 28 by Aselian years," he said. "That certifies me as being a fart. Old, though, that I'm not so sure about."

"How many days are in an Aselian calendar?" she asked, digging out a piece of scratch paper. "I'll figure out how old you are in Earth years."

"Around 542, give or take," Kratos answered.

"You're ancient," Ash blurted out. "Think about it. There's only 365 days on the Earth calendar. Now I see the problem. Ran, you're in love with a fossil."

"The more experience he's got, the better it'll be, right?" Ran said, her face red.

"I don't have much of that experience, Ran," he said, sitting down next to her. "I was only ever with one woman, and that ended quickly. My life wasn't really about love. I was almost as hard a worker as you are, my dear."

"That tone," Squall said, trying to keep himself from laughing. "Was that an indirect insult?"

"No," Kratos replied soundly. "It's called sarcasm."

"My life wasn't that geared for love, either," Squall said, quickly regaining his composure. "I was a student at a military academy. The one girl I ever had thoughts about like that, well, she and I didn't get along much. Pushy and dramatic all the time."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Kratos said with a big smile.

The guys laughed loudly together until the girls whacked them both on the head with their empty rice bowls.

"Maybe the two of us should go do something," Ash said to her sister.

Ran agreed with a nod. "Yeah. You guys can clean up this mess. We're going out back. Excuse us."

Ash and Ran walked out the recently built gazebo before either one of them said anything. It was sturdy and well painted. The handiwork was top-notch. Once Ran sat down on the bench, her sister sat across from her with a very determined look on her face.

"So, you two haven't been affectionate at all, have you?" she asked.

"We have been affectionate. You see us hug all the time. You know how I feel about PDA. I'm not going to make out with him in front of anyone," Ran explained. "I shouldn't have to."

"You don't," Ash said flatly. "But you haven't been affectionate behind closed doors, either."

"I've only known him a week!"

"Week, shmeek. You love Kratos. I know you love him."

"I've admitted to this. Your point?"

"Then why haven't you…"

Ran shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this."

"You should."

She got off the bench and started to walk away. "I'm sorry, I'm not like you in that regard. I don't want to get into the differences between you and me. I was hoping you'd drop it when Squall told you to."

"I'm just concerned," Ash stated honestly. "I'm really not trying to intrude on your privacy or anything."

"But it feels like you are," Ran said.

"You've never cared before."

Ran shook her head. "Maybe Kratos has helped me with that. Because I value the relationship so much, I don't want to ruin it. I don't want to cheapen the bond. I didn't summon him just to get him in bed. The companionship matters more to me. It might be hard for you to understand that, but you'll just have to deal." She started to walk away when she said, "I don't want to be compared to anyone else."

"Is that it?" Kratos asked, standing right in front of her.

"Stay out of this," Ran said.

"Uhh, no, this is just as much my business as it is yours," he said sternly.

"I'd rather you look at me as your child than as your lover," she responded, trying to go past him. "I feel awful that I summoned you. You had a wife and a child. How can I try to take their place?"

Kratos rose his hand as if he wanted to slap her silly, but he stopped himself. "My son was an adult when I left, my wife had been dead for years. You can't take their place. You are you."

"It just feels so wrong to-"

He cut in abruptly, "I seem to remember it being you that gave me the kiss the day this house was built. It was nice. I hadn't felt anything like that in so long, I forgot what it felt like. I never had the chance to have a normal life, ever. Always on the run. Always had to be. When your spirits retrieved me, I was being sent to another world to be in prison. You saved me from that." He stepped closer to her, opening his arms. "I know your reasons were selfish, but I see it as instead of being sent to prison to be punished for all of the things that I'd done wrong in my previous life… I get the chance to live life the way I wanted to. What kind of person would I be not to love the one person that allows me that chance?"

"Kratos, I-"

"Stop putting yourself behind others," he said. "It's getting old."

"I… I don't really know what to say," Ran sighed. "So I'm not going to try."

He walked up to and embraced around her. "Why are you trembling?" he asked quietly. Because she didn't answer his question, Kratos picked her up into his arms. "I'm sorry about this," he called to Ash. "I'll get to the bottom of it one way or another."

"All right," she replied, watching him carry her back in the house as Squall passed them.

"Why do I get the feeling that something is about to explode?" he asked, coming out to the gazebo to sit with Ash. "As if the entire area here is gonna burst."

"It's not the area, it's me," she answered. "I wish I knew where that bastard was that made her like that."

"I told you to let it go."

"I can't just let it go. You know as well as I do I can't drop anything once I get involved with it." Ash said, rubbing her temple. "The problem is that Ran's just starting to finally deal with her emotions on a daily basis because she's been interacting with people more often. A lot of those things she pent up for years she's just now dealing with. Her emotional walls are slowly crumbling, and all because Kratos has been so supportive through the entire ordeal. She froze there because she didn't know what to say or how to say it… I can relate to that."

"My question is, other than that, how are you?" Squall asked, putting an arm around her shoulder.

She shrugged. "I'm better now that you're here."

"That's a good start," he said with a slight chuckle. "But it sounds like a copout answer to me."

"I'm good," Ash insisted. "There, happy now?"

"Yes, thank you for actually answering my question."

"When I think about it, Ran is right about how slow life is. It's nice and peaceful, but it still tends to drag on."

"I like the peace and quiet." Squall said with a smile. "Means I get to do things like this, y'know?"

"The gazebo?"

"Yeah! I'd never done anything like that before. It was a very nice change of pace."

Ash gave him a stare. "Just because my sister isn't going at it doesn't mean I won't," she said, running her finger around the frame of his face and down his neck. "If you catch my drift."

"It's hard not to," he winked at her, gliding his hand down her face. "I know the when, but I need a where."

"Do you see anyone else around?"

"Oh you naughty little girl, you."

Ash smiled, "You have no idea what that means."


	7. Chapter 7

PART SIX - The Price You Pay

When Kratos had placed Ran on her bed, she just let herself fall backwards onto her stack of pillows. She hadn't said anything since they were out back, and she wasn't really intending on saying anything there either. He sat down next to her and put his hand on her arm. "I'm not here to demand anything out of you," he said. "I figured you'd want to talk this out in the privacy of your room."

_I wouldn't be surprised if Ash had some secret camera in here somewhere, _Ran thought. _Who knows what kind of trouble she'd get into with homemade porn._ With that, she blushed. _Did I just… Gahh, I swear that sister of mine is going to be the death of me._

"_Can you at least talk to me?"_

_Ran looked up at him. "I don't really know what to say."_

"_So you'll just ignore me."_

"_I haven't been ignoring you," she said quietly. "But when I don't have anything to say, I tend to just not say anything at all."_

_He wasn't sure how to reply to that, either. "I don't want you to think that I'm using you as some kind of replacement for anything," he stated. "I'm not here to use you like that."_

"_And me calling you from Aselia like that wasn't me intending to use you?" Ran instantly asked._

"_Why does it matter why you called me now? I'm here." Kratos said gently. "Unless you want me to leave, then allow me to trouble you no more."_

_She reached for his hand, which he accepted. "I love you. I don't want you to leave, ever. I'm just not used to dealing with these kinds of feelings. I don't know how to handle it. I'm trying to change my ways. You asked me to yourself." _

_He lay down next to her, looking into her glasses. "You're right," he said. "I did ask you to try, and I just want to let you know, that as long as you'll put up with me, I'll guide you through this as much as I can. I wouldn't make you work out your emotional issues without giving you support."_

_They slowly made themselves closer to each other, and the moment they were about to kiss, Ran's cell beeped. She reached for her nightstand and checked the ID window. "Ralph?" she exclaimed, answering, "Little brother, what's wrong?"_

_The phone's connection must have been bad, as there were horrible cracks in the background of the call. "You and Ash are talented in magic, that's why I called you," he answered. "There is some weird shit going on here."_

"_Weird?" _

"_I'm putting you on speaker phone," Ran said, clicking a button. "Define weird shit."_

"_All sorts of things have been appearing everywhere here," Ralph explained. "Big things, small things. I don't know what they are, except they look like monsters in a video game." _

"_Oh shit," Kratos swore out loud. "Is this problem widespread?"_

"_I can't get Jeffery to answer my calls," Ralph said. "The TV signals are all coming in static. Whatever this is, it's big."_

_Kratos jumped off the bed and walked out. "I'll be right back. Don't move," he said, going down the hall. He found Squall and Ash together on the couch in the middle of a kiss. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we have a bit of an emergency."_

"_You finally getting off since the time of dinosaurs is not an emergency," Ash said._

"_Ralph called," he said. "He's been seeing monsters."_

_Squall shook his head. "There aren't any monsters on Earth. The spirits even told us that when we first got here."_

"_How powerful is the magic that Larissa created?" Kratos asked, stomping back to see Ran. "Pack a bag. Change of clothes, navigation equipment, maps, anything that might help traveling."_

"_What? Why?"_

"_We need to go," he said sternly. "And bring those books by the LeLouche siblings. You'll need them."_

_Kratos and Ran were ready to go quickly, and when they started to leave, Ash leaped up after them. "Where are you going?" she asked. "You can't be serious about chasing after monsters. Is this some kind of role-play to help my sister get in the mood or something?"_

_Ran handed her phone over. "I recorded the call," she said. "This isn't a joke. Ralph is in danger. Jeffery might be, too. Hell this whole world just might be."_

"_That's what I'm afraid of," Kratos said. "Remember, I used to do this for a living."_

"_If it's widespread, wouldn't it be on the news?" Ash asked, turning on the TV to a news channel._

_The TV showed a big flashy "SPECIAL REPORT" label before going to an anchorman. "Strange phenomenon have been occurring all over the country. People everywhere have been attacked by what appears to be some kind of monsters." They played videos and showed pictures, which made Squall tense up._

"_A mesmerize?" he shrieked. "And a wendigo?"_

"_That's an Angelic Swordsman of Cruxis," Kratos said. "You realize what this means, don't you?"_

"_If those monsters are from either your world or mine, this is definitely our problem," Squall said, standing up. "Ash, get ready to go. We need to get to the bottom of this. Now."_

_Ran held a map of the local area and a compass. "Look, if we want to get to where Ralph is, we're going to have to get across the country. The best way to see if this is really widespread or not is by exploring ourselves."_

_Kratos surveyed the area. "They always hit as a surprise. Since the two of you aren't skilled in combat, do not leave our sides. For anything," he ordered simply. "Squall, do you see anything at all?"_

"_No," Squall had climbed up into a tree to get a better look around. "I don't see anything other than more trees here. If you remember, we're about three hours away from the nearest city. This is not a good place to check for monsters. We take the car to the city to see what's happened there."_

_Kratos shook his head. "I don't like the sound of that. If we're attacked, we can't make a decent formation out of two fighters and two escorts."_

"_I've been in my fair share of brawls," Ash piped up. "I have a dagger, too. I won't be completely useless."_

_Ran shook her head. "I suppose that makes me the squishy wizard, doesn't it?" she asked._

"_It would be the best option, yes," Kratos answered. "Strategically, it's a good idea to have two front liners, one sweeper, and a mage."_

"_I realize that's a good idea," she said. "Remember exactly why I called you? I wanted my life to be more…" she looked away "…more like this, actually."_

"_What are you saying? You want monsters all over the world?" Ash asked._

"_Kind of," Ran said with a nod._

"_Why?"_

"_Because it would definitely make life more exciting, and you will see beyond a doubt who your allies are," she explained. "I like RPG worlds more than ours, and for some reason, I get the feeling that when I called Kratos over from a world full of monsters, the spirits didn't just bring him. They brought a whole helping of monsters from that world, too."_

"_Even after our world was saved from its turmoil," Kratos said, "it was still full of monsters. Such is how life was."_

"_And you wanted that upon our world?" Ash asked again._

"_Yes," Ran replied. "That's right. I did. You can even blame me for this, but Squall comes from a world full of monsters, too. It's not just my wish that did this."_

"_We don't know for sure if it was our spells that caused this problem or not," Ash retorted. "You can't just instantly say we did it."_

"_But then why are the monsters from just their worlds. Either Kratos can identify them or Squall can. That is not a coincidence," Ran stated. "Logically, this is entirely our fault!"_

_Kratos pulled Ran back gently. "You don't know if that's for certain," he said quietly._

"_Oh, I do know for certain," she said. "It's the price we pay for having the two of you with us."_

_The cold silence that followed her statement bit into everyone's mind. _

"_We need to move. Now." Squall said. "We didn't get all dressed up for nothing."_

_Kratos stuck his head out of the car window, analyzing the sky as they drove closer to the city. "There's something there in the sky," he said. "Like a funnel."_

"_A tornado? On top of the monsters?" Ash shrieked, "This has been our month, hasn't it?"_

"_It's not like a tornado," he replied, "it's more like… I'm not sure how to describe it. What's worse, is I think I know where it is."_

_Squall twitched. "It's in the direction of the park we landed in," he said, turning the steering wheel. "This isn't going to end well. I'm pretty sure."_

_Ran had been taking notes and compiling the information given into a notebook for further analysis. "If that's the case," she said, "Squall, go to that park. I feel something from there. Something very, very familiar."_

"_Familiar?" Ash inquired. "I don't feel anything in that direction."_

"_This is something I have to do," she said. "I think I understand everything."_

"_What are you talking about?" her sister demanded an answer. "I'm left in the dark here, as usual! You never tell me anything important!"_

_Squall pressed on the break. The car came to a full stop in the same place that the group had met just less than two weeks ago, and Ran got out first._

"_I told you not to go off on your own," Kratos said, "Calm down and come back here." He pulled himself out, letting the other two get out at their own pace. "What is that presence you feel?"_

"_Dad," Ran said flatly. "There's no mistaking it."_

"_Do what?" Ash asked behind her. "Dad?"_

"_Before Dad married Mom, this is what his aura felt like," Ran explained. "That's why I know that presence." She put her hand out, and the Tome of Larissa LeLouche responded to her aura. "Do you want to know why I swore off magic? Why I broke up with my ex-boyfriend? How about how Mom ended up with this book? Why I wouldn't let anyone get close to me? It's all very simple." She walked in the direction of the park to find someone familiar running up to her._

"_Ran!" _

"_Ah, Ralph, I knew you would come here," she said with a nod. "It's Dad."_

_Ralph agreed. "I'm aware of that. So, these guys are the ones?"_

"_Yep."_

"_I have to assume the red head is yours," Ralph said with a laugh._

"_Right again. You know me so well," Ran gave him a big smile. "Squall, Kratos, meet my younger brother, Ralph."_

_Kratos bowed his head slightly as Squall gave a nod of confirmation._

"_So, Sis, do you have the other one?" he asked, looking into her bag. "Aha, the Tome of Loire LeLouche! I knew it would be in here. Well the monsters are one thing, but sealing them away permanently will be a totally different problem."_

"_Ralph? Ran?" Ash asked. "What's going on here?"_

_Ran cleared her throat, not sure how to explain everything. "The reason why I've always been obsessed with worlds like from the video games is because I'm actually from one. My brother Ralph and I, as well as our father, are from Alastair. The books of the LeLouche family were from my real mother's family. We stole them from her and fled to Earth to prevent their misuse. Of course, we couldn't tell anyone about this. Magic really isn't that big of a deal here, that's why we decided Earth was a good choice."_

_Ash cleared her throat, "If the three of you were from another world, then why would Dad even-"_

"_My guess is that he found a way back, but he knows we like our lives the way they are here," Ralph said calmly. "Now if you don't mind me asking, dear sister, what were you doing using that spell book in the first place?"_

_Ran pointed at Ash. "Her idea."_

"_You knew better!"_

"_That's not what matters now," Kratos interjected. "You need to focus on the most important thing. I am happy living in this world. My job in Aselia was done when I was pulled away from there."_

_Squall just shrugged. "I was mad about it at first, but now that I think about it, I do prefer a life of peace to one of war. Especially a life where I feel needed, not just as a leader or for my combat ability, but just for being me. That's hard to say no to."_

_Ralph shook his head. "Still, we ran to prevent their misuse, and you deliberately went against why we even came here in the first place. Ran, do you really want to go back there? Do you miss that world so much that you'd call forth a guy to fill the void in your heart that you left back there?"_

"_Ralph," Ran started, "I don't need anything. Let's close that damn thing before it causes too much more of a mess. Please." She handed him Loire's tome, and it reacted to his aura. "The reason that it reacts to us is that we are half LeLouche blood," she said quietly. "Mom got these books from Dad. That's why she had it. I'm pretty sure that she knows at least something." When she saw a monster charge at her, she swished her hand to the side, shooting a bolt of ice at it. "Now. I'll explain the rest when this is taken care of."_

_The group went to the park. Their assumption was correct in the fact that the gigantic rainbow colored funnel landed right where the guys had arrived. In the center was a man in a cloak, commanding the funnel with his hands. With every stroke, a new wave of monsters fell to the ground. _

"_Stop!" Ralph yelled at the top of his lungs. "Don't do this!"_

"_We know who you are," Ran added. "So either cross worlds peacefully or stop this foolishness."_

_The man turned around, bearing another magic book. "Oh ho. You think you're the perfect beacon of goodness, when you've used the powers of the LeLouche family for your own purposes, too. Calling forth boyfriends when you're too arrogant to even look at a man from this world makes you look foolish."_

"_I really didn't think the books would even work here," Ran said. "The flow of power here is so miniscule, I figured that no plea to the spirits would be heard. I know what I've done. You can throw me in prison for all I care. But I won't let you harm this world. It has nothing to do with the LeLouche problem."_

"_Not really," Ash said behind her. "You brought it here. That makes it this world's problem. I don't think one man could really stop the powers of four worlds, could he? Earth isn't that shabby of a world, and it has powers all its own. Let me show you."_

"_Aselia's magics are based on the mana that dwells within the body of every living thing," Kratos said carefully. "Even the monsters we slay to keep our family safe provide the world with energy so that we may keep on living. One must respect all of them to understand life on any world."_

"_I never was one for magic," Squall said. "But I do know that by drawing on another's wavelength will provide secrets into the powers of your enemies. I can draw from you, old man. Let's see what we find."_

_Ran and Ralph stacked the two magical books on top of each other. "We know the inner workings of Alastair, even if it is not our current home," Ralph said. "It was our folly that led to this. Let us end it."_

"_So much faith between the five of you," the man in the cloak grumbled. "You really should try out for the drama club, Ralph, you put on such a show." He waved his arm, producing a wave of monsters that didn't take long to be defeated using simple swings of swords or a bit of magic. "Bah!"_

"_What exactly are you trying to do here anyway?" Ran screamed, "Summoning monsters on Earth doesn't get you much past a ticket to the insane asylum in Prenict. Not that you haven't been there before, am I right?"_

"_I will punish this world for being my prison!"_

"_That is true," Ralph said quietly. "We did seal ourselves here on Earth. The only way the three of us could get out of here is by dying." He summoned a staff using his right arm. "I suppose I should help you out," he leaped up into the air, and aimed the staff at the man's head. "Dad, if you were going to miss Alastair, then we shouldn't have bothered coming to Earth at all! That was your stupidity!"_

"_I… I just… Larissa."_

_Ralph stopped himself from hitting the man in the cloak, as he felt something strange in the air._

_The spirits that welcomed Kratos and Squall to Earth circled around him until they took the form of a woman, like they had before. "You should stop," she said. "What the girls have done may have been selfish, but it worked out for the better, considering both of those young men needed it. What you are doing isn't even involving the wars on Alastair."_

"_Larissa, is that you?"_

"_No, I am not Larissa LeLouche. I am the remnants of her spirit which dwell inside her spell book. Every spell that a person writes, they leave a bit of themselves inside. That book eventually consumed her," the spirits explained in her monotone voice. "I have been watching over the books and all of their uses since they were stolen from Larissa herself. The worlds of Gaia and Aselia are still open." She walked past him and over to stand between Kratos and Squall. "Ripping such important people from those worlds have thrown their balances completely off. I must suggest that the two of you go back to your home worlds so that the rift may be fixed."_

_Kratos just shook his head. "Can it be fixed without us going back?"_

_Ralph grunted. "Probably not. With a rift there, any old sorcerer want to-be will be able to pull monsters out of that rift. It wasn't because of you two being summoned that they started appearing, however, it did make it possible."_

_The spirits nodded. "What of you?"_

"_I know what it'll take the seal the rift," Ralph said. "I can do it, and it won't cost these two guys going back home to do it."_

"_I'd rather send those worlds back into balance," the spirits said quickly._

"_Fate may be a big part in those worlds, but on Earth, things are much different," Ralph retorted. "I've learned this throughout my stay here. Life is different for each person on Earth. It is put into the hands of each person how they will live, and it is not up to fate or destiny to control their paths. That gives me every right to offer to seal the rift and let Kratos and Squall stay."_

"_No," Ran murmured, "What we've done isn't right. Throwing worlds into complete chaos for our selfish wishes? Opening rifts to allow the summonsing of monsters? C'mon, guys, it's probably best that you go back."_

"_You're not serious, are you?" Ash asked. "Really? We went through all this crap to keep them around and you just want to send them back without a fight? Don't you love Kratos?"_

"_I do. That's why I think it's best that he go back to his home world," she declared. "Kratos, I've kept you long enough."_

_Kratos shook for a moment then walked into the rainbow funnel. "If that's how you want it, Ran, I can't force myself on you. Use your spell book to send me back. I won't ever forget you."_

"_I won't forget you, either," she said, flinging the book open._

"_You're mad!" Ash screamed, snatching the book out of her hands and throwing it on the ground. "Forgive me, but…" Ash slapped across her sister's face. "Wake" SLAP "the" SLAP "hell" SLAP "up!" After a moment, she bent down and looked at the book. "I can end this shit right now. Watch me!" She found a lighter in her back pocket, opened the book, and set the lighter on top of it. The fire consumed the pages slowly at first, but the fire really got going after a few minutes. "Rift or no rift, I'm not letting my sister give up the one thing that makes her happy."_

"_Your selflessness is amazing," Larissa's spirit said. "I am impressed." She was fading there as the book was burning. "I will use what is left of me to send your father where he needs to be. I will also clear the entire Earth's memories of this mishap. I wonder, though, Squall and Kratos, if you've found the answers you were looking for when you first found me?"_

_Before anyone had the chance to answer, everyone's eyes were blinded by white light._


	8. Chapter 8

PART SEVEN - My World, Your World

Kratos blinked a few times, finding himself tucked into bed with Ran asleep cuddled up next to him. She nuzzled her face against his hand amid her slumber. Once she let go of him, he crept from under the covers to see they were in their room. It had been another peaceful day. He remembered making beef fried rice. When he and Ran were talking, she got a phone call from her brother. Kratos remembered the smile on her face when she heard the news that her brother was getting married. He looked out the window. The sun was just about to rise, the stars giving off their last twinkle before morning.

He yawned. He was going to need some coffee this early. Grabbing his robe and putting on some slippers, he started in to the kitchen to see that Squall had beat him to it.

"Morning," Kratos almost croaked, his voice sounded so froggy.

"Oh, good morning," Squall greeted him quietly. "Those girls will sleep through anything."

"No kidding," Kratos laughed. "I woke up too early, man. I've got a headache feeling like I've started at the sun too long."

"What, did Ran finally let you go at it? I'm sure a few hundred years without release will do that to ya," Squall teased him.

"No. That's not it at all," Kratos said, digging out the sugar from the cabinet. "I probably had a nightmare or something. I don't know. I'm sure I'll snap out of it as soon as I wake up."

"What do you say we make 'em breakfast in bed? Not a girl alive doesn't appreciate the beauty of waking up to breakfast waiting for them," Squall suggested, going to the fridge. "I know Ran would probably go crazy over some French toast and peanut butter."

"Stop trying to get me to seduce her. She'll be ready when she's ready."

"I hope you're still able to get it up when she finds herself in the mood again." Squall had to avoid a swing of a ceramic coffee mug aimed at his head. "I know you aren't that old. I'm just teasin' you, you old fart."

"I've told you before, I may be a fart, but I'm not old." Kratos said. "What's planned for today, do you know?"

"Knowing those two, it'll just be another lazy day of making out."

Kratos groaned. "Maybe just knowing Ash, that's the case."

"Did you just take a pot shot at my girl?"

"Nope. You must be mistaking me for some other redhead in the vicinity." Kratos yawned again, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Damn headache."

Ran stumbled down the hall half asleep, still just wearing her nightgown and slippers. She glomped around Kratos and held on for a few seconds. "Why are you up so damn early?" she asked.

"My head's killing me," he replied. "Woke up as if a bright light flashed across my face."

"Oh. Well. I need sugar in my system to stay awake," Ran said, opening up the breadbox to find a few donuts. "Gotta eat 'em before they get stale."

"No, you just want to eat them to eat them," Squall quipped, sitting down at the table. "So much for the breakfast idea."

"I'm not going anywhere this early," Ran said. "No way." She all ready had one completely devoured and was starting on a second. "I think I might even go back to bed."

"…I might take you up on that offer," Kratos said, stretching. "I am still exhausted. I might not get to sleep, but I'll at least keep you company."

"And make her cry out your name?"

"Squall, seriously," Ran said, bonking him on the head. "What's with you lately?"

"I just know it's been so fun lately, I wouldn't want to see the two of you missing out on all the fun to be had," Squall said with a smile. "If you're as half as talented as your sister, Kratos will be in for a world of pure awesomeness."

Ran wasn't sure if she was disgusted by that or not, so she didn't even bother replying to it. She just grabbed the last donut from the breadbox and walked out of the kitchen promptly.

"Note to self," Squall said quietly, "Don't talk like that to Ran."

"I'd been trying to tell you," Kratos grunted. "No one ever listens to the fart." He got up, only to be greeted by Ash, who was just a total mess after just waking up. "Good morning," he said, bowing his head a little.

Ash yawned. "Morning," she replied. "I had a dream that Ran was being an idiot. Is she okay?"

"Her usual antisocial self, of course," Squall said with a shrug. "Not much has changed."

"Ah," Ash nodded, popping a crick in her neck. "She hasn't said anything strange or anything like that?"

"Not to my knowledge," Kratos said, walking past her. "She said she wanted to go back to bed, so I was going to check on her right now. If anything is out of the ordinary, I'll let you know."

"All right. Sounds like a plan to me."

As Kratos departed the kitchen, Squall looked over to Ash. "You had a dream that Ran was being an idiot?" he asked, concerned. "It must be bothering you."

"I don't remember much of it," she said, sitting down next to him. "I just know that my sister was trying to convince us that the two of you needed to go home. After I woke up, I had a flash of relief, but it was more than weird."

"I wouldn't let it bother you too much," Squall got up, heading over to the stove. "You hungry?"

"Not for food. Not yet anyway."

"Oh ho," he shrugged. "Then what can I get for you?"

"Some lovin' would be great."

Ran sat at her computer, trying to concentrate. She stared at the monitor for a few moments before deciding that she couldn't get any work done and turning away from it. She shook her head in disgust. The one time workaholic herself couldn't bring herself to bother with working, and it drove her nuts. She could have pulled out many a hair in frustration, but she decided not to, as she had been shedding enough in the summer heat.

Kratos, not the rude kind of guy, stopped before just barging into Ran's room. He watched through her cracked door, seeing that her quiet, diligent demeanor had seemed to have left her. He knocked on the door, catching her attention. "Excuse me," he announced. "You mind if I come in?"

She grunted. "Nah, come on in."

He opened the door. "Ash says that she's worried about you. She dreamt of you trying to send us back to our home worlds," he said, walking in. "You do seem distracted so much you can't work."

Ran wanted to punch a wall. "If she has something she wants to discuss with me, then she should just come and talk to me, instead of having you do her dirty work."

"No, because you aren't completely honest with anyone about things like this," Kratos stated plainly. "I'm not her mole, my dear. That's not what this is about. Something's bothering you. It's obvious."

"Oh is it now?"

"Your devouring of the chocolate donuts so fast indicates a lack of positive chemicals in your brain. Remember what you said to me about how chocolate contains serotonin and how good it is for your overall mental health? That, and you unable to focus on whatever you were about to do." He sat down on her bed once again. "Come now, anyone that knows you can tell you how obvious it is. What's wrong?"

"Well, I've been thinking about Dad lately."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, ever since I realized he wasn't going to have anything more to do with us, I haven't really been the same," she said, turning off her computer. "He was my hero."

Kratos nodded. "Fathers tend to have that effect on their children," he said with a smile. He couldn't help but reflect on his previous life as a father himself, and how he saw so much of himself in his son as he grew up.

"I wish I didn't miss him. It hurts."

"No, it should hurt," he replied. "Not that you deserve the pain, but the fact that it hurts proves that you've got a heart. As long as you're human, you're going to have emotions, both good and bad. That's how these things work."

"That's one thing I love about you, Kratos," Ran said, going over to sit beside him. "You're like a father."

"I believe I've figured something out about you, and it's rather disturbing."

She leaned against him. "What's that?"

"You don't want to have a romantic relationship with me because you're using me as a replacement for your father," Kratos said. "Isn't that right?"

"What are you talking about? I specifically asked for a man that had the loyalty of a father, but the demeanor of a lover. I didn't ask for a father specifically."

"Like I said," he said quietly, "It's disturbing. I'd rather not see you as my child."

"But you don't."

"No, but you treat me like a father figure, and not like a lover."

"If I treated you as both, it would be weird."

Kratos' eyebrow twitched. "You see what I'm getting at here? It's more than awkward."

Ran looked up at him and smiled. "I do love you," she said, reaching up to stroke his face. "But I don't really know what kind of love I need. I'm not sure how to love in a romantic sense. Last time I tried that approach to a guy, not only did it scare him away, but it left me wanting to never attempt being romantic with anyone. I know I called you from another world because you would suit my desires, but I'm not really sure exactly what my desires were at the time. It's hard for me to explain."

"I may be here for you," he said, "But I am a person, too. You aren't treating me very fairly here."

Ran shook her head. She hadn't thought of it that way before. "Since you brought it up, what do you want? I shouldn't be so selfish, should I?" she asked.

"For one," he started, "You don't have to love me in a romantic sense, but you need to stop using me as a replacement. I'm not who you miss. I'm just myself." His eyes evened out. "I'm not mad at you," he said, kissing her forehead. "I know you're a walking mass of complexes, and I'll work with you on all of them, but treat me as my own person. You don't want to be compared to anyone else, right? Why should I be?"

"You're right," Ran said, feeling her eyes well up with tears. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Kratos said with a wink. "I'm sorry, too."

"What are you sorry for?"

He shrugged. "Demanding you change for an old fart like me."

Squall and Ash were in the middle of another one of their wild and crazy love-making sessions when they stopped for a moment to take a breath.

"Jeez," Squall said, wiping his forehead, "How long can you go?" He pulled up a bed sheet to cover them both, and Ash laid her head on his chest.

"I don't know exactly," she replied, "I've never actually timed it."

"I see you in a world record book of some sort with an award for the longest time you can go without feeling tired," he said. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

She just laughed. "Good thing you're young."

"I suppose so," he laughed, too.

"I'm sure if Kratos could actually get my sister started up, she'd be the same way," Ash said. "Not really sure what her problem is."

All of a sudden, the wall started moving. Trinkets on the wall bounced back and forth as the squeaking of a bed could be heard. Ash was pretty sure she knew what it was. Squall laughed so hard, his sides started to hurt.

"Bout damn time!" Squall shouted. "Give it to her, man!"

Ran held a big pillow over her head. "Oh no, you don't!"

Kratos had a big grin on his face. "I'm sorry, but I just can't help myself," he said, thrusting a pillow into her face.

They were in the middle of a pillow fight on her bed.

"Y'think they might leave us alone after this?" Ran asked, thwacking him with her big pillow.

"Probably not," he replied, laughing a little. "I expect more cat calls and the like, honestly."

Ash pulled herself into some clothes. "I'll have to congratulate them," she said, giving Squall a thumbs up. "Since, you know, they spent damn near a month avoiding the situation. I mean, the release must be so great they'll sleep for a week."

"I don't think they'd like being compared to us," Squall said quietly. "Just because you can't handle not getting off when there's a willing partner, doesn't mean that Ran has to live by that same standard."

"Oh hush," she said, "Ran must have had such a release that she won't care what I say to her." She almost bounced out the door and down the hall to knock on the door.

Ran and Kratos were laughing so hard, they didn't even notice the knock.

"Sister dear, I was coming to congratulate you for leaving your bizarre month of celibacy!"

Kratos went to answer the door, but Ran hit him on the head with her pillow again. "You get back here."

"Oh ho, she's really into it, isn't she?" Ash said, flinging the door open. When she found the two of them engaging in a pillow fight, she just shook her head. "Seriously?"

"Yep," Ran said. "We had you guys fooled, didn't we?"

"Why am I not surprised?"

Kratos shrugged. "Did it really seem like we were going at it?"

"It did. What with the moving of my wall, the squeaking of the bed, the little giggles here and there."

Both Ran and Kratos couldn't contain their laughter.

"That's unfair." Ash said. "Trying to trick us like that."

"Should teach you not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, but I know you too well to think that'll sink in," Ran said, crossing her arms.

"What's your aversion to sex, anyway?"

"What's your addiction to it?"

"Now, now," Kratos said. "It's not important."

Ash stomped her foot, "But it is! Kratos, you're a guy. You've got your needs, too."

Kratos sighed, "I do."

"Her constant snuggling up to you has got to have some kind of an effect on you," she said flatly.

"Here you come trying to guilt me into it," Ran said. "Get out of my room. We were having fun in here until you barged in unannounced."

"There you go, being selfish again," Ash retorted. "You don't know how to handle a man."

"Is 'handle' the word you're looking for, or is it just 'please' - as in 'you don't know how to please a man'," Ran shouted. "You really want to get into this? Why don't you just own up to the fact that you've been passing the time with Squall pretending he's your dead boyfriend! You're just as selfish as I am."

"Why, you!" Ash stomped out of the room and down the hall. When she stopped, she stared at the wall. "This isn't going to work. Really. I was wrong."

"What's wrong now?" Squall said behind her. "You were having a shouting match with your sister."

"They weren't going at it," she answered, "they were having a pillow fight and laughing at us because they had us fooled. I tried to ask about her aversion to sex, and she just reflected it back at me. I'm a nymphomaniac." Ash turned to look at him. "I'm sorry about all this, Squall. If you need me to, I'll send you back to your home world. You deserve better than me."

"Uh oh," Squall said with a big smile. "Your sister's self-pity party is rubbing off on you. News flash, we know that you guys called us here for selfish reasons. We've accepted that. Problem is, you guys are the ones that did it, and you still haven't gotten over it. Yes, you summoned two guys from other worlds. Yes, you pulled them out of the only lives they've ever known. But what's done is done! Let it go and enjoy the fact that you've actually been able to do something to make yourselves happy."

"You really mean that?" Ran asked from down the hall.

"But of course!" he replied. "Why deny yourself the happiness you've called forth for yourselves? It's all ready here. You're supposed to think about these kinds of things before you do anything like summoning people from other worlds, you know."

Kratos hugged Ran from behind. "Your world is my world."

Ash then said, "We should get out of the house today. We haven't done much of anything since we finished the house."

"I agree," Ran said. "We should do something other than just sit around."

"Let's go to the city and see what we find," Kratos suggested. "We never do anything since we don't know exactly what we want to do. So let's just go look around."

Squall nodded. "Everyone get dressed. Now. I don't care if you don't want to go, you're going if I have to tie you to the bumper of the car and drag you along."


	9. Chapter 9

PART EIGHT - To Happiness

The group piled into the car, after Kratos deliberately went through Ran's purse to remove all of her usual take-along distractions. "I'm sorry, but the point of going out together is actually spending time with one another," he said, putting everything from her notebook to her Gameboy away in a drawer. "You aren't going just to say you went, now are you?"

"No," Ran grumbled. "If that's the case, I don't need my purse at all."

"You only use it to carry distractions?" Squall asked. "What about money and… y'know, normal girl stuff, like a mirror and a hairbrush and all that?"

"If my hair gets messed up after the one time I bother to brush it, it can be messed up," Ran answered, sitting in the back seat of the car. "Mirrors are evil tools only the most materialistic of women bother with. My money itself is always stuffed into my wallet, which I carry in a pocket. Typical women carry makeup and all that jazz. Makes me want to barf."

Ash shrugged. "Kratos, make sure she doesn't have a pen stuffed somewhere. Last time we tried taking all her distractions away from her, she drew a very elaborate tattoo all over her right arm."

"Hey, it looked pretty good," Ran said.

"Yeah, it did look good," her sister agreed. "I really liked the heart being stabbed repeatedly and being wounded in various ways, shapes and forms."

"Oh, I actually drew that one on paper eventually. Some lady asked me to design her a tattoo."

Ash sat in the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt while Squall sat down in the passenger seat beside her. "Well, did she pay you?" he asked curiously.

"Of course not," Ran sighed, looking out the window. "Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be boring as all hell?"

Kratos sat in the back next to her. "Typically, family get-togethers are only as much fun as you make them," he said, pulling his hair back only for it to flop back in place. "So if you put more into it, I'm sure you'll get something out of it."

"Always in the spirit of things," Ran replied, taking his hand. "If nothing else, I could stare at you all day."

"What would that accomplish?"

"Nothing, really, but it would be entertaining at least." she leaned up against him, nuzzling his shoulder with her face. "Might even get me to want to, y'know."

He blushed. "No rush. That will come when you're ready."

"It might be the only fun I have today at this rate."

"So you're only interested in sex when you're bored?" Ash asked, shaking her head.

"When there's nothing else to do, I start to think about it." Ran said. "But by the time I'm bothered to talk about it, I've found something more interesting to do."

"That's awkward," Squall thought aloud. "Put this piece of crap in gear and let's go."

"Don't insult my car, it'll actually start acting badly if you do," Ash said, driving out of the front yard and onto the front road. "Tell it you're sorry. I don't want to break down in town."

"I'll have to convince you somehow," Kratos whispered, wrapping his arm around Ran's shoulder, "that affection isn't so secondary."

Squall shrugged, "Okay, okay. Car, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Thank you," Ash said, rubbing the dashboard. "She's a sensitive car."

"Owned by a sensitive woman," Squall added quietly.

"Oh, Squall has mastered the art of sarcasm," Ran quipped from the back. "I am impressed."

"Because that's my whole point in life," Squall retorted. "Impressing you, of all people. I'm sure you'll be impressed if you just let Kratos have his way with you in bed."

"I'm not that impressive," Kratos said. "My wife had to walk me through it most of the time. It's been so long, I don't remember most of it anyway."

"You mean it's been so long that when you reach climax, then you'll blow a hole through Ran's backside about the size of the moon?" Squall smiled. "That must hurt, man."

"Not as much as you might think," Kratos answered.

"See, Ran? You're putting him in pain."

Ran just looked at all the trees going by through the car window. What she wouldn't do for a book right about now.

The city was about three hours away from home, so by the time they got there, Ran had fallen asleep in Kratos arms out of sheer boredom. Kratos had stopped talking about halfway through the trip, because he hadn't had much to say, but Ash and Squall were just talking about whatever the hell came to mind. The sun hadn't reached the highest point in the sky, though it was late in the morning by then. Ash pulled the car into a parking lot to take a break.

She got out and stretched. "You know, I've been thinking," she said. "Time to test something out."

"Oh hell," Squall said, "We're in for it now."

"You hush," Ash replied, opening Ran's door. "Aww, you're adorable together like that."

"…thanks, I think," Kratos whispered. "Let her sleep, would you?"

"I'm not intending on waking her up. I need her to stay asleep for this," she said, crawling in over her sister. She reached up to Ran's breast and touched it.

Ran reacted in her sleep to it, taking a sharp breath.

"Thought so," Ash announced, instead this time cupping it and moving it around a few times.

"…Kratos…" Ran moaned quietly. "…Mmm."

"Haha!" Ash said, getting back out of the car. "Experiment successful!"

"What were you trying to figure out?" Squall asked.

"Kratos, dear, you need to take a more direct approach," she said. "A moan like that means she was turned on, which means that sex isn't as unimportant as she claims. Besides, my sister isn't the type to admit to when she wants something like that, so you have to coax it out of her. She always did say she likes a man of action."

Kratos wasn't sure if he was insulted or not, so he just shrugged it off.

Ran just leaned more on Kratos, starting to snore.

"Now that's hilarious," Ash laughed. "Ah well. Now what are we going to do?"

"There's a lot to do here in town, I'm assuming," Squall said. "Let's go explore."

"Why don't you guys go?" Kratos asked, looking down at Ran.

"Oh she won't get out of this by sleeping," Ash said, flicking Ran's forehead. "Hey you. Wake up."

Ran jumped at her. "How dare you wake me from that!" she snapped. "It was Heaven!" When she realized that she had been in Kratos' arms that entire time, she blushed. He was more than comfortable. "Not that this isn't," she said with a slight smile. "Anyone ever told you that you were made to sleep on?"

"We're here," Kratos said gently. "We want to go explore a bit. So come on."

"Aww, I want to stay like this," she whispered to him. "You shouldn't grab me like that."

"Oh," he said, "Then next time I'll be a bit more careful. We should go and walk, though. I think you'll feel better."

"What are you talking about? After a restful sleep like that, I feel great," Ran pulled herself out of the car and stretched for a minute. "I could take on the world."

Kratos followed out. "Fine, then," he agreed, looking around. "Hey. This place looks familiar."

"It should be," Ash said. "When we first saw you, we were eating lunch over at that delicatessen. It's one of Ran's favorite lunch spots. That means you came from the park a little over that way." She pointed over in that direction, but her head buzzed when she did. "I don't think it's a good idea to go somewhere we've all ready been."

"You're right," Squall agreed. He then looked in the opposite direction. "What's that big tent over there?"

A big blue and red tent was pitched up over a large parking lot in front of a line of shops.

"Is it time for a summer festival all ready?" Ran asked.

"The circus doesn't come by here anymore, so it's either that or some salesman's trying to get some attention," Ash replied. "Summer festivals are usually decent in these parts."

"They aren't anything like Japanese summer festivals," Ran said. "While the whole mindset is about the same, they lack the cultural impact and formality."

Ash shrugged. "Little miss know-it-all at your service."

Ran's eyes cut her a glare. "There are some subjects out there you know more about than me, and when you can, you like to show it off," she said, walking ahead. "If we're going to that damn festival, then I suggest we get going."

Squall shook his head. "Oh, joy."

Upon walking closer to the tent, Ran spied a bookseller. No one else could catch up to her once she had taken off for it. Once Kratos did find her among the boxes of books, he gave her a bewildered look.

"Hey, you know me," she said, thumbing through the books. "Oh dear. Is this authentic?"

The bookseller gave a slight nod. "These books are from all parts of the world. We travel everywhere and gather all sorts of things, and as we go, we sell what we've found. Think of it as a worldwide roaming caravan."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Ran chimed as Squall and Ash also were in sight. "A worldwide roaming caravan!" She lifted a book from the box, staring at the cover. "Too bad this is in Chinese. I'd love to read it."

"What is it?" Kratos asked, interested.

"This reads on the front, 'The Diary of Zhuge Liang'. One of my favorite historical figures, if not my absolute favorite," Ran explained. "I know some Chinese because of the evolution of the Japanese language being based on Chinese characters, but nowhere near enough to read this. Still it's a collector's item if it's authentic. I doubt the Sleeping Dragon himself would write on his diary what it was, or even keep a diary. The problem is, since I can't read it, I'll never really know." She put it back in the box. "Too bad."

"You should get it anyway," Ash said behind her. "No one studies ancient Chinese history like you do."

"Through strategy video games and translated texts," Ran added. "I can't claim to read Chinese when I obviously don't. And considering how old it would have to be, over 2000 years old, the Chinese would not be anything like the Chinese nowadays that I could learn, and it could even be in a dialect that's unheard of even by Chinese linguists! Besides, how authentic could this really be if you're selling it in a box to normal people? If this really was the Diary of Zhuge Liang himself, it would need to be preserved in a museum."

Kratos was reminded very much of a friend of his son who studied ancient history of their world with a dedicated passion. Their names even sounded alike once he thought about it for a minute. "Don't worry about it," he said. "If you want it, get it. Just to say you have it."

She picked it back up. "You're sweet," she said. "In a very odd way."

"I try on occasion," he replied with a bow. "As everything I do is rather odd, yes?"

Ran paid for the book, still not knowing if it was authentic, and at that point, she didn't really care if it was. She would just add it to her library, and it wouldn't be special because it was a book about one of the people in history she'd kill to meet. It would be special for being a part of her first date with Kratos. Of course, once she realized she thought of that, her face turned bright red.

"Are you all right?" Kratos asked once they left the bookseller.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she answered. "A book written by the man I believe to have been the greatest military strategist of all time? A man that, if I had a time machine, I would kidnap and rape him just to bear him children."

Ash giggled. "Perhaps Kratos should get some ancient Chinese robes and get into military strategy."

"Oh, don't you know that there aren't any redheads in China?" Ran asked. "It wouldn't work, though, that old armor is pretty sexy."

"Damn, she actually said something was sexy," Squall said.

"I'll be the first to admit when things are sexy or not," she grunted. "Like, battle armor? Totally sexy. Swords? Even more so. A knight in battle armor with a sword, wearing a flowing cape behind him? Orgasmic on sight. Men back then had to be badass. Nowadays, they all sit in front of their computers and play sports. Bah. But a man back in the those days… they were real men!"

Kratos shook his head. "I've been going about this the wrong way."

"Wrong way?"

"You see that sword over there in the case?" he asked.

"Yeah. It sure is a beauty!"

"Well, you see, that sword is intended for left-handed people to use. Check out the shape of the handle," he explained. "Based on the length and the width of the blade itself, it was intended for a person with weaker upper body strength. That one, over there, that's a two handed broadsword. They are heavy and require so much strength to lift that it's hard to use, but let gravity assist on the slash downward, and not much will be surviving the blow."

Ran's face lit up with joy. "Oh, but tell me something about them I don't know. My thirst for knowledge about that kinda thing just can't be quenched enough."

Ash pulled on Squall's jacket. "They're going to be there a while. I think he's figured her out."

"I don't think I've ever seen her so talkative," Squall led them out of the bookseller's area of the tent. "So what is it that you like as much as your sister likes ancient battle equipment?"

"The directly honest answer to that would be sex," she said, "though I like all sorts of things. Movies, music, y'know, a fantasy novel here or there."

"But no specific area that you're overly passionate about?"

"I do like to write," Ash said with a shrug. "I haven't done much of it recently."

"What you're telling me is that we've been going the right way all ready."

"Pretty much."

They laughed together, walking along the side of the big tent.

"So I should take you to the place they sell sex toys from around the world, then?"

Ash shook her head. "What do I need toys for?"

Squall felt his body shake with laughter. "Touché."

The group had a rendezvous together for lunch a few hours later, and both Squall and Ash were more than amazed at what they saw. Ran had become warm and talkative to Kratos, not wanting to use her right hand to eat because she was holding his hand in it.

"Have you ever used a sword though?" Kratos asked. "The only way to know how they work for real is to actually wield one."

"You kidding? My dad would have killed me if I had a sword in his house, knowing my frequent mood swings and emotional instability," Ran replied, holding back a laugh. "Besides, even if I had a blade, I don't have the upper body strength to use one. I've got weak arms, and I'm sure I couldn't even hold a full size baby for very long."

"Excuse me," Ash said, "would you mind? I'm trying to eat."

"What?" Ran shook her head.

"You guys are playing footsie under the table, you're holding hands, you're giggling at each other like lovebirds," she explained. "Save your affection for the-"

"Calm down," Kratos said, waving his arm. "Hold that comment. You'll ruin the possibility."

Ash then nodded. "Oh all right. It's just you don't have to be so cutesy in front of people eating."

"All right," Ran said, taking her hand from Kratos so she could use both to eat her lunch. "We can save that conversation for later, my well-studied swordsman."

"Sounds wonderful, my little scholar," he replied, giving her a very wide smile. He took to his sandwich , never taking his eyes off of her.

"So… Uhh, what do you guys want to do after lunch?" Squall asked.

Kratos didn't say anything, but the look on his face spoke pretty loudly. He had his eyes focused on Ran's every twitchy movement, craving to be closer to her. Ran hadn't even noticed, and it was his plan for her not to. If she caught on, there would be resistance, and Kratos' plan was to catch her in the heat of the moment without giving her a chance to refuse.

"I think it would be great to go swimming," Ran said honestly.

"Swimming?" Ash repeated in question. "Oh that sounds like so much fun."

Kratos coughed. "You sure you don't want to save that for tomorrow?" He knew that Ran in anything less than a knee length dress would give him too hard a time. He wouldn't be able to hold himself back at this rate. "Swimming directly after eating isn't very good, either."

Squall noticed Kratos' hesitation as he said, "Maybe we should go swimming tomorrow instead. Kratos is right about that. Nasty cramps come with that."

"Speaking of cramps," Ran said suddenly. "Oh hell."

"What's wrong?" Ash asked.

"I need to go use the restroom," she instantly said, taking off.

"I should go with her," Ash said quietly. "We'll be back."

Once they were both out of earshot, Squall said, "I saw the look on your face. You wanna go back home, if you catch my drift?"

"When she's actually affectionate, she's very enchanting," Kratos said. "I can't help myself."

"I can see that," Squall said with a nod. "You took a girl from being a workaholic hard ass to being an open, affectionate and endearing person. What effect do you have on women?"

"Another friend once asked me that, because girls in Aselia used to swoon over me. I hated that about my life. I like having one to myself, not a whole flock of fan girls." Kratos looked around to see Ran coming back over, gripping her midsection. "Are you all right?"

"I vote to go home," she said, sitting down. "I'm cramping like hell. I need to rest."

"I concur." Kratos gave a nod.

Ash came up from behind. "Swimming next week, then. Works for me." She sat down. "Maybe by then I can rent a boat and we can go up to the ocean."


End file.
